The Void Reaper
by keeperoflies
Summary: The Void is the Cradle where all creation originates from.  The Void is the Fire that abolishes all existence.  The Void: A power so immense, even Gods cower at it's mere mention  MAJOR AU
1. The Rainbow is a Lie

Chapter 1 - The Rainbow is a Lie

Hey Guys! Voidfox is dead, hope you like this new one :D

'_Thought_'

"Human Dialogue"

"**Demon Dialogue**"

"_**Unknown**_"

"_Celestial Dialogue_"

"Technique"

Disclaimer: Oh! Oh! Oh! I own nothing. You know the drill. :(

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><p>A child of the flesh shall bring about the ruination of all existence<p>

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><p>An obsidian sea of nothingness, that is what the Void is. Through this nothingness, all the worlds are connected, parallel to each other yet never knowing of the existence of the other. Through this abyss, new life is born and through this abyss, all existence is eradicated. In this nothingness, creation and destruction are in perfect equilibrium. A source of vast and utterly terrifying power, countless entities both eternal and mortal have tried and failed to control The Void.<p>

We now turn our attention to the middle realm, the realm of mortals and the playground of those above. The Keepers have always overseen this realm, The Multiverse; a collection of worlds inhabited by mortals that stretched throughout the boundless space, each one with their own unique characteristics. The Keepers were created by the Allfather as servants to watch over the worlds, they are called Gods, Pantheons, Essences, Overseers and other such titles to indicate the power they each had in world they tended to. Tasked with tending to and protecting each of their respective worlds, the Allfather has bestowed upon them sufficient power and knowledge so that they can effectively do what has been tasked of them. While not having the same caliber of power as the Virtues, they were given enough power to warrant them the title they were given. At times, the Allfather's retainers use their power to influence events and steer the course of history to uphold the "Greater Good" at the will of the Allfather. Most of the time though, they just observe the comings and goings of the inhabitants of their respective realms, they watch, unseen and unknown.

Over time, however, the Keepers of this realm grew in power, more than what they were used to. And this in turn led them to arrogantly believe that they were more than enough to topple the Allfather. This thus led to the tragedy known as the Zodiac War. Twelve cosmic beings consisting of both Keepers and Virtues sought to dethrone the Allfather and wrest control over all. The war was waged for eons, many worlds were ravaged and it looked as if the middle realm was about to implode on itself. Then, the Allfather himself stepped in and in a massive display of power, utterly defeated the treacherous rebels.

The Old God did not destroy them though, instead they were cast down into the Gates of the Void where the father hoped that his children would redeem themselves…he was wrong. Now they wait, patiently recuperating their powers and recruiting denizens of the Void. Now they are one of the Warring Triad; three powerful groups seeking to take control of this under-realm. They wait and they scheme, hoping for their revenge and vindication.

The Zodiac War exhausted the Allfather's army, the Virtues; beings given immense power by the Allfather to battle the darkness. Now there is a fragile peace, the Allfather still struggles to replace all the lost Keepers and Virtues. Without anything stopping them, demons from the Void were now easily able to enter and cause trouble. With some of the remaining Keepers weak from the war or worse, corrupted, it would take a while before balance could be restored and things returned to normal.

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><p>"<em>Hey, big sis, look what I found!<em>" a voice that sounded like it belonged to a young boy echoed out

"_A Class 2 demon…So what?_" deadpanned a feminine one

"_Why do you always ruin all the fun? And here I was thinking that you saw the light when we fought that Class 3_" the boy mock pouted as he stared at the young woman

"_That was a few million years ago. These days, existence feels so…dry_" the young woman drawled, clearly disinterested in continuing the conversation any further

"_Awww, you're no fun. Let's just release this on some unwitting human settlement and watch some blood and entrails fly_" the boy said, positively giddy with excitement

"_I got tired of that stunt a few thousand years ago_" the woman said as she lazily closed her eyes

"_But, But, But!_" the kid sputtered

As the woman was about to leave, she tensed as she felt a certain energy signature that she hasn't felt in a few thousand years. She then turned to look at the bustling village of Konoha and the proverbial light bulb lit up as she thought of a sinister plan

'_So that's where you are...Big Sis_'

As she thought of that, the boy started on a tirade

"_Come on, let's do something fun. Come on Come on Come on Come oooooooon! How about Kusa? Suna? Oh! Oh! Oh! Let's do Iwa again! The last time was hilarious! Anythiiiiiinnnng!_" the kid was now shouting hoarsely and stamping his foot

"_Fine Fine! Just shut that mouth of yours. But I want to do…this one_" the sinister female said as she pointed at Konoha's general direction

"_Oooooh, looks fun. Wanna make it more interesting? Hehe_" the equally malicious boy said

"_What do you want now?_" the other voice groaned

"_A bet as to whether Konoha will survive or burn to the ground_" the child said

"_Again? Don't you ever get tired of that?_" the woman asked

The boy looked like he was about to go on another rant

"_Fine Fine_" the woman conceded

"_The terms?_" the annoyed lady asked, this kid is really getting on her nerves

"_A thousand years?_" it was more like a question, the kid knew he was in some hot water so he didn't want to push his luck

"_Whatever. Let's just get on with this._" the woman huffed, barely reining her anger

"_Yaaaaaay!_" the malevolent child cheered

The young woman snorted, what else could she do?

"_Alrighty! But no intervention this time, that Seal Master guy you sent last time really killed all the fun_" the first voice said as if pouting

She wanted to tell the boy that if not for her intervention then he would not have his playthings right now but didn't feel like going on a tirade.

"_Let's just get on with it already_" the woman said as she crossed her arms

And with that, a sound like that of snapping fingers was heard. The peace in Konoha was shattered when something huge came crashing down upon them.

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><p>Konoha's business district<p>

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><p>With a small flicker of light and energy as the only warning signal, the populace of Konoha was caught unaware as a crazed Energy Demon descended upon them. As soon as the Demon materialized, everything in it's immediate vicinity got vaporized due to the massive energy it was exuding. It raised one of it's heavily clawed arms and sent it crashing down, creating an energy wave that demolished several buildings before it fizzled out.<p>

After a few seconds of panic, stores and homes were abandoned as the civilians scrambled to the relative safety of the designated evacuation areas. As the civilians were being evacuated, Shinobi scrambled to the front lines to stave off this new threat to the village they cherished. The monster saw this and did only one thing, it roared and sent some of it's energy skyward. Before any of the defending Shinobi could mount a proper counter-attack, several streaks of energy fell from the sky and detonated with such force that it rocked the very foundations of Konoha. With the whole of the business district left in ruins, the engine of destruction moved on to lay waste to another district.

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><p>…15 Minutes later<p>

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><p>The Yondaime's heart broke as he saw what lay before him, the prosperous village of Konohagakure no Sato left in tattered ruins before the might of a gigantic figure. The once bustling business district was now nothing more than a sorry pile of rubble. Hoarse screams and agonizing moans could be heard from the twisted wreckage of metal and concrete as more than a few civilians were trapped, buried under tons of concrete and metal.<p>

"…HELP ME!"

"What did I do to deserve this?"

"I don't want to die here, help!"

"Kami fucked us up!"

He could hear the disembodied voices say. If this drags on for too long, they would be hauling out cold corpses instead of battered survivors.

Despair hung in the air and the young man felt like the weight of an entire ocean was strapped onto his back. The beast stalked for a few steps and stopped, it then appeared to absorb in something from the surrounding area, possibly ambient energy present in the atmosphere. Immediately, the aura it was discharging increased in its intensity.

The young Hokage moved in closer and as he did so, he saw the many brave shinobi try to stave off this new threat to the safety of the village. What he saw next only increased the feeling of dread pooling in his heart. Those who came close enough literally evaporated into thin air, not even a single speck of blood was left. He gasped in horror as the monster sprouted small whip-like tendrils from it's gigantic arm which proceeded to flay and stab at the offending Shinobi.

As the moon peeked from the clouds, he began to take in the entirety of the monster that stood there before him. It had a single glowing eye that seemed to be filled with an extreme amount of anger and sadistic glee. Said eye had concentric circles and a number of tomoe that dotted the aforementioned circles. It was gigantic, easily dwarfing the entire village and it had...ten tails?

"...!" the Yondaime was at a loss for words. The Jubi, an ancient entity that had almost put an end to human existence was more than just a myth! And it was attacking now of all times! His wife's water just broke a few minutes ago and the village was just recovering from vicious assault from Iwa.

This is a really fucky fucked up day, not the most fucked up but it's up there.

Sure he may have read about the Jubi when he was a child, even heard a few stories from the Village Chronicler but he didn't believe for a second that the Jubi would exist for real. Myths were just supposed to stay in books and told by senile old men...right?

But now was not the time to muse over his thoughts, something must be done, and fast. He saw with his eyes as the creature began to move, it stopped a short distance, charged up its energy and fired off a deceptively small projectile toward the east wall. The effect was unbelievable as what was once a 200 meter high wall that stretched for quite a distance was now nothing more than a smoking, molten crater.

Brute Force is definitely out on this so they had to be a little more creative. He exerted his chakra and with a bright yellow flash he was gone. During his first few days as Hokage, he set up several seals in strategic areas so he could teleport to them at a moment's notice. ("Hell yeah I'm efficient" he remembered himself say when he came up with the idea)

He appeared in the war room, countless scrolls and battle plans spread on every inch of the chamber, a bright yellow flash and a few scrolls flying away signifying his arrival.

"Doton Specialists have been sent out to rescue the buried civilians as you have ordered Hokage-Sama. Any developments on the frontline?" said Isei with a salute, one of the most experienced shinobi in the room

"SUSFU" said Hokage deadpanned

"On the bright side though, we're going to have a clear and unobstructed view of the sun tomorrow if we don't die horrible, painful deaths tonight" the Hokage added jokingly, a wide grin plastered on his face. This would have been hilarious if Konoha wasn't being attacked by a crazed demon beast thing at the time.

The room fell deathly silent and all eyes were set on him.

"Shouldn't have said that, so what do you know?" he said adopting a serious expression

"One of my men told me that conventional weapons or jutsus won't work, he said weapons simply passed through and whatever jutsus they threw at the monster simply got absorbed then fired back with greater power" Isei reported in a calm matter-of-fact tone

"So, from those reports we can assume that the Jubi is a sentient energy-based being and from what I've seen it will only grow stronger the more energy it absorbs" the Yondaime said, plans forming in his head

Many in the room gasped

"What do you mean Minato?" said a wrinkled old man

"Sarutobi-jiji? I thought you were retired already" asked the aforementioned Minato

"I should be, but the current situation we are in dictated that I do otherwise. At least for the time being" the old man added hastily, god he loved being away from that accursed paperwork.

"Oh, I see, well I hope we can resolve this quickly" Minato said while scratching the back of his head sheepishly

"So, you were saying Hokage-sama" Isei said as he cleared his throat

Minato then went on to explain that the Jubi absorbs the ambient energy present in the atmosphere and further adds it to its own already tremendous power.

"But it has a fatal flaw, being an energy construct without a solid vessel to reside in; it will eventually fizzle out into oblivion. That will take a lot of time though and I don't think the village can take any more of this. We can however use seals to...uhhhh...seal it, much like the way we use seals to store chakra or items, but the seal has to have a colossal amount of absorption capability to accommodate the obscene amounts of chakra we are going to pour into it" Minato finished with his monologue

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><p>"<em>Guy really likes the sound of his own voice eh sis?<em>"

"_Shut up and just watch_"

"_Sheesh *cough* stingy*cough* Pass me some popcorn will ya?_"

The young woman just looked rusty daggers at him

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><p>"We could make this work for us, imagine Konoha being the wielder of such awesome power, Iwa or any other Village for that matter will never again have the gall to attack us like it did a few days ago" said a nondescript figure behind a desk victoriously<p>

"I see, containment seals and a very powerful one at that. Everyone up for it?" Sarutobi said as he went over to the strategies for their counterattack

The whole room suddenly became abuzz with activity as everyone either read up on more information, relayed further commands to the front line or designed seals that could hold the Jubi.

The Yondaime being the seal master that he is, finished the required seal in little over a minute. (Well, if you can make a seal that breaks the laws of time and space, making a seal that could hold untold amounts of power was a cakewalk)

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><p>As soon as he finished the seal, he disappeared in flash of yellow light and appeared once again in front of the Jubi. He needed to be able to get close enough to active the seal and start the sealing process, easy as pie.<p>

The yellow haired flash then threw one of his special kunai at the colossal beast. Said beast did not even see him as a threat so it just went on with it's business, namely to lay waste to the worthless village and the pathetic humans that resided within it. He teleported and plastered the seal as close as he can to the Jubi and pumped it full of chakra to start the absorption. A brilliant flash of light ensued and the Jubi was sucked into the seal with all the force of a Black Hole. It tried to struggle, a vain attempt to free itself from the sudden and massive pull but the force just kept on sucking it in. The beast clawed at the ground, desperately trying to escape whatever force that was trying to capture it. Before it was fully sealed, it looked at Minato dead in the eyes, an ice- cold glare as if saying: "You die last"

After a few seconds more, the seal was victorious and not even a trace of the Jubi was left. Ruined buildings could be constructed again but the lost lives could never be brought back. Still, they survived and that's all that mattered.

A smile crept into his face, everyone was safe now. He couldn't believe it was that easy.

'But damn, we are going to need one hell of a cleanup after this. The village force was also weakened after that, hope no one attacks us for now' the young man thought

The seal worked! Konoha was saved and he had enough time to get to the missus before she notices that he's gone. Before he could teleport away though, the seal in front of him smoked and out exploded the mighty Jubi once more. It seems like simple capture seals were too weak to contain the Jubi after all, something stronger was needed, but what?

The Jubi snapped at him as it let out a surge of its power out. The Yondaime seeing this, did a half tiger handseal and vanished in a flash of yellow light before the monster's damaging energy reached him. Apparently it didn't like being sealed into paper scrolls.

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><p>He appeared a moment later in front of a house near the edge of the village where his wife was giving birth to their child. Before he could enter though, he heard an ear piercing roar and felt a huge amount of energy coming their way. Generally, a huge amount of energy barreling towards you is never a good thing. Without a second thought, he took hold of the house and teleported it a few meters out of harm's way. True to his instincts, a beam of the beast's energy came crashing down where he had been a few seconds ago. Because of the sheer force of the explosion, what was once a mountain that stood several miles is now just a molten, gaping hole on the ground a few meters deep.<p>

'On the bright side, now I can have that view I always wanted. That pesky mountain always blocked my sun' the young shinobi snickered in his mind

The house was not left unscathed from the explosion as the roof and about a third of the house was blown away. The yellow flash stood up shakily, that last feat left him with about a quarter of his chakra reserves as the house he moved away was quite sizeable.

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><p>"<em>This human is quite interesting, staying calm and collected in the face of adversity, plus he's really cute<em>" said the feminine voice as she smacked her lips

"_You always say that then you throw lightning bolts at people_" deadpanned the other

"_Hehe, We'll see how collected he is once he sees the carnage inside_" she said with glee as they watched the scene unfold

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><p>The blonde Hokage hoped and prayed that the people inside were safe. He made his way inside the house and cleared out a bit of rubble. He went into the room his wife was supposed to be in and saw something he wasn't prepared to see. His wife, Kushina lying on the floor, covered with debris, heavily bleeding and clutching a crying baby.<p>

He rushed to her and used a moderately powered Fūton: Daitoppa to get the debris off.

"Oh Kami-sama" was all the young man could say before his legs failed him, despite him being the strongest shinobi in the village, able to kill others without so much as batting an eyelash. In front of his dying wife though, he was naught but a broken man.

"It'll be okay Kiiro-chan, I've been through worse" Kushina said as she gave a weak smile

"I decided to name him Naruto, now don't argue with me or I'll beat you to a bloody pulp" Kushina joked, she expected the man to smile but there was no reaction

The young man could not find the words as tears started streaming down his face. He just sat there and cradled his wife, everything from that point just seemed so...unreal. His shock was so profound that he just shut out everything.

"No... Don't cry, I want you to be strong for Naruto. Where is the strong, bright and cheerful man I fell in love with?" she said as she hugged the baby known as Naruto closer to her chest. She tried to chuckle but it came out as a bloody cough.

After a few moments of silence, the man snapped out of his reverie.

"H...How...? Why now? Why us?" were the only things the man could say, his mind was still having trouble coming to terms with what lay before him. As he lay there in despair, Kushina's breathing became heavy and ragged.

"I don't have much time" Kushina said weakly as she gave the crying infant to her husband

"I love...you...Minato..." and with that said, Kushina breathed her last, a smile placed serenely on her face. If one were to look at her, she looked as if she was just sleeping. Safe from the harsh and unforgiving world.

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><p>Minato felt a click inside his mind and as if by some miracle, it suddenly cleared and information he did not have instantly flooded inside his head. Seals that seemed impossible a few moments ago were now possible, easy even. It was as if he was given near omniscient knowledge about seals.<p>

"Naruto is special...so please" he heard a voice say inside his head. He looked lovingly at Kushina…only to find out that she wasn't there anymore.

His mind went a mile a minute, trying to explain what had happened.

'There would plenty of time for explanations later, please go' the voice spoke to his mind again

With renewed vigor, he stood up and held his child, a revelation dawning on him and a plan forming inside his head. He had to act fast or the village would not see the light of day.

He used Hiraishin and teleported a safe distance away from the monster so he could work safely and in peace.

He sent a chakra pulse to the war room that came with a message

"Hold the line. I am working on a solution to the problem, just give me a few minutes and this nightmare will all be over"

With the message was a schematic for seals to protect allied units from the beast's violent energy.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but you'll just have to bear this burden" Minato said to his child as he put him into a genjutsu induced sleep via Nemuri. This was needed because the subject needed to be stock still in order for the seals to be properly inscribed, any misstep in the inscription process would mean death to both inscriber and subject.

As soon as he was sure the child was sound asleep, he began the delicate process of infusing his child with another set of artificial chakra coils so the Jubi's energy would be able to flow around and comingle with the child's system. Setting it in a stationary position would have the danger of it pooling up and eventually exploding out, killing the host and unleashing this horror again.

First, he drew seals throughout the child's body, which would make a copy of the child's existing chakra coils. Once the seals were drawn, he pumped his chakra in a certain way. It flowed around and energized the seals adorning the boy's body. After the energy has permeated all of the seals, they were absorbed into the boy's skin. A bright flash of light followed and Naruto was granted his secondary tenketsu (chakra coils), he only needed to construct the seal to imprison the monolithic beast.

After a few minutes, the capture seal was finished, about forty seals were compounded to achieve a very specific and powerful effect. Finally, he imbued it with chakra so that it would behave the way he wanted it to. Dread formed in the valiant young man's heart as he felt Death's presence creeping ever closer. He knew that being a shinobi meant that Death was always a few steps away but he just couldn't shake the unease that he felt this time.

'Looks like I won't make it out alive, at least Naruto along with the village will be safe'

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><p>Minato, not wasting any more time in idle thought bit his thumb and exerted some of his chakra. A moment later he slammed his hand on the ground causing a system of seals to spiderweb from the point of contact. A large poof of smoke followed and Gamabunta appeared, still smoking his pipe.<p>

"I need your help old friend" the yellow flash said as he jumped atop the toad boss' head

"What is it this time? Pissed your wife off again?" the giant toad joked, blowing smoke towards his young friend

Minato looked morosely to where the Jubi is again laying waste to his precious village

"She's...she's...gone, and if we don't hurry, the village will burn" the young man said grimly

A deafening roar echoed through the night sky and Gamabunta then sensed the gigantic amount of energy being emanated from within the center of the village. There, a gigantic creature was firing off blasts of concentrated energy towards some buildings, it isn't obviously seen but the gigantic beast was royally pissed.

'This energy feels familiar and yet different at the same time' Gamabunta thought with apprehension 'similar to the black shadow that attacked the summon realm'

"Let's go, there is precious little time left" Minato said as he cradled the still form of his son

"I understand" Gamabunta replied

As soon as the words were said, Gamabunta was off, moving far quicker than one would expect from a gargantuan toad. The Jubi sensed this and sent several energy waves raging toward the bounding toad, hoping to kill off the threat. The toad, in a display of it's superior agility, easily side-jumped the deadly projectiles and continued on his way. In almost no time at all, Minato was again face to face with the scourge that threatens to engulf his beloved village in darkness.

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><p>The young Hokage then sent a pulse of chakra telling the remaining shinobi in the area to evacuate.<p>

"Focus your energies my friend, I will need a lot of power for this" the blond man whispered to the toad familiar

Gamabunta did not need telling twice as he formed a tiger seal and started channeling his chakra

Minato then used the last remaining bits of his chakra along with a significant portion of Gamabunta's to trace seals on the very air, before that click in his mind, this feat along with the artificial chakra coils, demon seal and protection seals would not have been possible but Minato did not give this any mind now. He needed to concentrate.

The Energy Monster tried flaring up it's energy to vaporize the toad that dared stand in it's way. The toad however was unfazed by this show of power thanks to the energy protection seals Minato had devised earlier. The monstrous form raised an arm and charged it's power, threatening to cleave the toad into tiny bite-sized pieces. But before the behemoth could strike, an invisible barrier was formed around it which stopped the Jubi stock still. Minato only has one chance at this. He then set off the seal that was to imprison the beast.

As the process started, Minato split the Jubi into two components, the energy it commanded and its consciousness. He sealed the energy inside Naruto, that's where the artificial coils came in, he only hoped that it would hold against the maelstrom of energy that is to be poured into it. That would leave Naruto with free reign over the energy and Minato knew that his son would do great things with that power.

As that was happening, he sealed the Jubi's malign consciousness inside him, this was to ensure that the Jubi would not influence the container and return again. He would take the beast along with him to the grave!

Before Minato met his end, he instructed Gamabunta to take Naruto to the Sandaime's home, the predecessor will know what to do afterwards.

"Thank you old friend, till me meet again in the afterworld"

A bright light exploded outward and moments later imploded. Peace was returned to Konoha but they paid a heavy price, many lives were lost, their leader joining the ranks of the fallen, the village was crippled. They survived, but just barely.

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><p>As the Jubi's potent energy raged within the boy, the artificial tenketsu buckled and cracked under the pressure, it could not hold the pressure of the beast's energy after all. As the energy leaked out, the boy's own energy supply acted up and started taking action independently to ensure Naruto's survival, as if it had a mind of it's own. It contained the volatile energy and merged with it, preventing it from damaging the prone child any further. Not all was contained though and flecks of the violent energy that were left bound themselves to his body, changing it's makeup. All was silent and it seemed as if peace had returned once again.<p>

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><p>"<em>Well that was anticlimactic, what's with the screen going all dead?<em>" said the boy as he tapped on the screen a few times

"_Don't ask me, you're the one who's supposed to know about these things_" replied the woman

"_Aww great and I lost too, this sucks" the boy said sounding a bit put off "I know you cheated, it's just not fair_"

"_I did not. And if you accuse me again, I assure you that you will regret it_" rebutted the woman dangerously, apparently being accused of cheating angered her

"_Well how can you explain the screen dying on us one second and the next, Konoha's all dandy again!_" yelped the child shrilly

The sudden appearance of someone broke the two figures off from their bickering

"_Well look what the cat dragged in. How's Earth? Did the humans treat you well?_"

"_Yaay other sis is back, I'm soooo gonna tell on you_" said the boy as he stuck out his tongue

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><p>The Sandaime was visited by the giant toad and when he was delivered his successor's child, he knew what had happened. The aged man allowed himself to grieve over the loss of such a promising leader and a dear friend. He then gave the order for the civilians to vacate the shelters, they were in for one hell of a cleanup.<p>

As the civilians emerged from the shelters, they saw with their own eyes the devastation that the demon has wrought. With heavy hearts, they wandered upon the broken village. Could they stand back up? Could they even last another day? Buildings were crumbled, houses were crushed and there were more than a few broken and unrecognizable corpses littering the streets.

Many knelt down and sobbed, others were just too paralyzed to say anything. This is the end, with no light to be seen at the end of the tunnel many contemplated just taking their own life and ending it then and there.

As though giving them a ray of hope and telling them not to give up, two rainbows formed over the horizon. Framing the sunrise and bathing the desolated village in it's delicate, otherworldly beauty

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><p>"Whoah! Double Rainbow!" a nondescript civilian announced as he pointed over yonder<p>

"Double Rainbow Oh Kami!" said another as she took notice

"Double...Double...OH GOD DOUBLE!" cried another as he was barely able to restrain his emotions and knelt down, bawling like a baby

"It's So Bright and Vivid!" said another as he hugged a total stranger who surprisingly hugged him back. It was the magic of the moment

"DOUBLE RAAAAIIINBOOOOW!" chorused the rest of the people as they saw the majesty of the Double Rainbow

"What does this mean?" wailed a woman amid screams of Double Rainbow

"And it's starting to look like a TRIPLE RAINBOW! TRIPLE RAINBOW!" another woman squealed

"IT'S A DOUBLE RAINBOW ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE SKY!" wailed a young man as his knees failed him

"So Intense!" blubbered another before his consciousness left

"Look at that Rainbow. Just look at it's majesty. OH KAMI" a woman was moaning at the top of her voice, tears streaming down her face

"*sob*Double*sob*Double*sob*Rainbow*sob*" cried a woman, breaking down on the spot from sheer rapture

"That is the baddest fucking Rainbow I have ever seen" claimed one badass mountain man(1)

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><p>The village slowly picked up it's bearings and with some help from allied countries, Konoha was able to recover. The Jubi incident was kept as a secret from the other hidden villages and the populace was told that the Yondaime gave his life to kill the rampaging monstrosity. Everybody in Konoha was in mourning as they had lost their beloved leader, not even a corpse to be properly buried was left. No mention of Naruto and his situation was made to protect the boy from his father's enemies and others that would take advantage of the boy's curse.<p>

The Sandaime got out of retirement again to take the helm of Hokage once again. Though he was busy with the rehabilitation of the village, he still found time to be with Naruto and play with him. As expected from the son of Minato, he is just as hyper active as his father was. As the years went on, the boy flourished along with the village that the both of them had come to love so much.

Naruto knew not of his father or of his lineage but the aged man resolved to tell it to him when he came of age, when Naruto had the wisdom to handle all of it.

In Sarutobi's free time, he taught young Naruto the basic fighting style and a few special moves. He knew the boy wanted to be a shinobi just like his father. The boy even claimed that he wanted to be Hokage after gran-gran was done. As Naruto moved on with his lessons, Sarutobi also taught him the basics of chakra and elemental and shape manipulation, in theory anyway. He did not yet teach Naruto any techniques as he felt that they would be unfair to the other children. This made Naruto sulk for the rest of the day, disappointed that he didn't learn any "Flashy SuperAwesome Technique", but he understood what his gran-gran said and did not push the subject further.

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><p>Naruto<p>

Age:5

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><p>Naruto was practically giddy with excitement, today was the day that he was going to be sent off to the Preparatory School where he will have his first taste of shinobi life. Many kids were enrolled in this one year crash course to bolster the ranks of the shinobi in service, it operated under a simple credo: "Weed out the feeble and nurture the strong"<p>

This facility served as a proving ground for many young shinobi, those who would fail here would simply be discharged and live on as one of the civilians. Those who would pass would go on and further their study of the deadly art in the Shinobi Academy. This way the village's commerce would not suffer from too much focus on military supremacy.

Konoha was once again one of the top dogs of the Elemental Nations and to keep that advantage they needed to produce more powerful ninja and they did that with funding which came from the civilian sector. Shinobi were basically tools of mass destruction, the more you have, the more powerful and fearsome you are. The more fearsome you are, the less enemies are inclined to attack you in fear of a mutually assured destruction on both sides. It works based on the saying that goes: "Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy."

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><p>A man entered the room, scars littering his whole body told those who saw him that this guy is not someone you would want to mess with. He wore a simple brown vest that barely covered his heavily muscled torso and a flowing black hakama that allowed ease of movement. He wore no footwear, why he did that, no one knew. The thing that made the kids really creeped out was the gray metal plate that covered the the left part of the man's forehead, on it was the kanji for blood in red ink.<p>

"Ellow Maggots!" the heavily built man said as he entered the room

"Feeling comfortable?" he asked mockingly

"Yeeeees" The kids chorused

"Course ya are, yer sitting on a chair, NOW EVERYONE STAND YER ASSES UP!" the man bellowed sending a bit of killing intent seep into the air

Everyone stood at attention, half the class almost peed themselves when the man screamed so suddenly.

"I will teach ye how ta take lives in the bloodiest way possible, ye all will carve out yer names in a torrent of blood" the man said as he paced up front, giving a lot of emphasis on the word blood

"Ellow, what do we 'ave 'ere?" the man said as he eyed Naruto

Quicker than his untrained eyes could follow, the man was gone from where he stood and was behind Naruto with a kunai poised, ready to slit the boy's throat open. A pretty impressive feat (Well, in Naruto's eyes at least) considering Naruto sat at the far end of the room.

All eyes were now on him as he felt the man breathe down on his nape, it was warm, a bit moist and smelled like rotting meat.

"I see a lotta promise in ye gaki" the man breathed as he applied pressure on Naruto's throat, drawing a bit of blood

Naruto said nothing and kept his calm, he would strike at the most opportune moment. His Gran-gran always told to look for openings whenever he is outmatched. 'Look for a weakness and make your enemy suffer for it' he remembered his Gran-gran say. He knew this was some kind of test to gauge his skill level and he would not fail it.

A pink-haired girl let out an ear piercing shriek when she saw the razor sharp kunai draw some blood. This served as a distraction as the man looked in her direction. Naruto's heart was pounding, adrenalin was surging through his body and there was a weird ringing in his ears. Time seemed to slow for him and he gained an increased consciousness of his surroundings.

Naruto pushed the kunai away and slipped from the man's grasp, not a fluid motion, but it served its purpose of freeing him. With all the strength he could muster, he tried to hit the man with a clumsy roundhouse. The attack connected but Naruto's feeling of euphoria was cut short when two bloodshot eyes met his.

"Raiton: Hirageki no Jutsu" the man bellowed

A palm charged with lightning made its way to Naruto's chest, it connected and sent the boy flying. Waves of deadly electricity lanced through the boy's body, stopping his heart dead and frying his brain as he sailed through the air. Naruto landed in front of the room, body crumpled and electricity still dancing around his body here and there.

The man just laughed, a maniacal, mirthless laugh that filled the room and scared the shit out of the children. Not only was their classmate possibly dead but they were also stuck in a room with a deranged psychopath for god knows how long. What a great way to start the school year.

"Now, this is how ye gut yer opponents ta send thar allies a message" the man said gruffly as he took out a kunai and prepared to do a number on Naruto.

As he was about to make the first cut, Naruto's body pulsed with powerful electricity that threw the demented man back. Naruto then floated up, head slumped and arms dangling lifelessly much like a grotesque marionette. In an instant, a violent, dark purple energy flared from the suspended child, for a moment, it danced around the boy's body much like a soft silk robe cloak. It then exploded outward, engulfing the boy in a furious flame-like shroud. The shroud then moved as if it had a mind of its own and formed several jagged spikes that danced hypnotically on either side of the floating boy.

Faster than the eyes could see, the spikes made a beeline for the madman, he tried to slice away at the tendrils of pure energy only to find his kunai disintegrating as it made contact with the corrosive energy. The scarred man then jumped back and began to fly through a set of handseals.

"It'll more than that ta scayre me ya little runt!" the man bellowed as he launched his counter attack

"Katon: Kogasuyari no Jutsu" As soon as the words were said, multitudes of spears made entirely out of flame materialized and lanced toward Naruto. The kid made no effort to evade as the spears crashed down on him. The older combatant was flabbergasted as the shroud merely absorbed his most powerful attack, it swelled and then flared up, seemingly angry at being attacked.

The shroud added energy to the absorbed attack, accelerating it and adding to its destructive potential and shot forth a concentrated beam of black fire. The beam of flame hit before the deranged man could jump away and cut clean through him, vaporizing his entire midsection. The attack had such destructive power that even after mowing down the offending flesh bag, it had enough force to blow up the back of the room when it impacted. The explosion rocked the small building they were in and killed some unfortunate students who got caught up in the blast.

Before the man or rather, pieces of the man could fall, the tranced boy quickly lifted up his right hand, palm facing forward in a puppet-like fashion. The movement was followed by a bolt of pure lightning that issued from the appendage that incinerated the man where he stood. The distinctive metal plate shot out of the man's head and embedded itself to a nearby desk. A black spot on the ground being the only indication the fiendish guy had been there in the first place.

What was strange with this sudden display of power was that the last attack behaved like true lightning. No chakra based technique could ever hope to match the raw power that a real lightning bolt contained. Ninjutsu basically revolved around ordering your chakra: "Move like this", "Hit like this", etc. but one could only do so much with the limitations of human chakra. Chakra based techniques are like counterfeit Drugs, they behaved almost in the same way but the effect paled in comparison to the real thing. What Naruto did was more on the lines of "Be this" as opposed to "Behave like this" that most elemental ninja techniques tended to do.

Naruto then collapsed to the floor in a crumpled heap, apparently unaware that he had just ended a life even before class began. The class, or what remained of it, cowered away from the unconscious boy, fearing for their lives.

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><p>Not long after the explosion, ANBU surrounded the building in a perimeter waiting for further orders. This was starting to become a dangerous hostage situation, there were a lot of kids inside and from that blast earlier, the enemy may have killed off some to send a clear message.<p>

The ANBU of course were being paranoid, but can you blame them? They had to be prepared for every single outcome, have a counter for everything the enemy might throw at them. Anticipating the worst made them plan their operations carefully, aiming for the path with the least collateral damage. It also helped them become more aware, efficient and precise in most of the operations they executed. Everyone was shocked as the Hokage himself took the lead for the whole operation. What would have made the strongest shinobi in Konoha come out here himself? Was this event more than what it appeared to be?

What they did not know what that the Hokage wanted to be there personally to make sure that Naruto would not be caught in the impending crossfire between his ninja and the hostage taker. The sagely man knew from experience that when shinobi engaged in combat, there was always the defenseless civilian that would be hit and he did not want Naruto to be exposed to that much danger. He knew his ANBU were one of the most efficient in the elemental countries but he did not want to take any chances.

The Hokage planned for a pincer strike, they would go through the doors and the others would storm in through the blown up opening in the back of the room. They broke down the door and ANBU quickly stormed the room. Imagine their surprise when all they found was an unconscious kid lying on the floor and the class cowering away from the aforementioned kid.

"What happened here" an ANBU with a Wolf mask asked the children in a soft tone, he did not want to distress the children any further.

The Hokage however moved closer to the child lying on the floor, kid was wearing black shorts and a white shirt with the symbol of Konoha emblazoned to it in gold.

"Oh Kami Naruto..!" the old man gasped as he recognized the shirt he gave Naruto for the boy's second birthday "Bring in the Medical Team!" he exclaimed, his voice ridden with panic

He knelt beside the boy and searched for a pulse...nothing. He then charged his hand with a weak lightning pulse to try to restart the boy's heart.

He brought his hand over the boy's chest. A loud crack issued as the lightning natured chakra entered the boy's system. But the effort carried no effect, the boy's heart stood stock still.

After two tries with no results. The elderly man had to give up, if he pushed it, he might just make the boy's heart pop. He knelt beside the boy, silently mourning all the while.

He had lost another one, first it was Minato then Naruto, he was getting too old for this. Two people he had come to call sons taken away far too early.

"Sir!" an ANBU with a boar mask saluted carrying a metal plate that he had retrieved from a desk. "We have reason to believe that an escaped criminal: Ranbou Kirite was killed here" reported the young man as he passed the old leader the metal plate. Sure enough, the kanji for blood was carved cleanly on it, the deranged man's defining characteristic.

"Debrief the children and bring in the cleanup team" the old Hokage ordered as he pocketed the plate.

The Medical Team arrived, but it was far too late. They moved in to bring the boy to The Morgue for analysis but they were abruptly stopped by their leader."I know what to do, let me be the one to take him" the aged man said weakly. He carried the child and made his way toward The Morgue, grief biting at his heart. He knew this was standard procedure, and being the leader, he was not going to be the one to break the law he himself put into effect. It didn't matter who you are, when you died they took you to The Morgue for analysis, no exception.

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><p>The Morgue<p>

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><p>The Hokage left the child a few hours ago, they were going to examine him to determine the cause of death and hopefully devise a Technique that could prevent this from happening again in the future. They did more than just analyze corpses here, they also did some experimentation for the advancement of prototype Medical Techniques. Novice Medical Ninja also went here to study anatomy first hand, there is never a shortage of bodies here. Crude and barbaric yes, but this is the reason why Konoha has the best Medical Team in all of the Elemental Countries.<p>

What happens in The Morgue is not exactly something you would be proud of, but this is what has to be done to make sure more of your soldiers returned home safely. After that, the body (if there was anything left of it) was given back to the family for a proper burial.

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><p>The room was dark and icy, heat absorption seals lined the walls sucking out heat and moisture, retarding the decomposition process. Tools for opening up and examining bodies lay neatly on small tables. Jars full of chemicals were put carefully inside glass cabinets for easy reference.<p>

Naruto lay there motionlessly, his skin cold and sallow. A moment later, a familiar energy danced across his body, blowing the cloth off him. The energy surged before it re-entered his body and a moment later the boy took a deep gasping breath as he sat bolt upright. His eyes darted all over the place, trying to find out where he is. The last thing he remembered was a weird tingling in his chest then all went dark.

He hugged his knees close to his chest to conserve heat, an almost automatic reaction as he felt the biting cold in the room.

"What happened?" he asked no one in particular

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><p>And there you have the first chappie. I don't know when the next one will come out but stay tuned :D<p>

WHOOO!

I really do hope this is better than Voidfox

1. If you know where this came from, virtual cookie for YOU! :D

It's good to be back!

R&R Plox :D

Techniques:

Doton – Earth Release

Fūton: Daitoppa no Jutsu- Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

Hiraishin - Flying Thunder God

Nemuri – Sleep

Raiton: Hirageki no Jutsu – Lightning Release: Shock Palm

Katon: Kogasuyari no Jutsu – Fire Release: Searing Spears

Comments? Suggestions? Violent Reactions?

Flames are welcome, within reason of course

Alright, Ill be seein' ya

Note: Wow, changed stuff this early…hope you guys'll forgive me for that :((

kthxbai


	2. The Element of FIST

Chapter 2 - The Element of FIST!

I like writing now, I feel like I'm going somewhere with this

Well enjoy a new chapter courtesy of me :D

'Thought'

"Human Dialogue"

"**Demon/Creature Dialogue**"

"**_Unknown_**"

_"Celestial Dialogue"_

"Technique"

Loiosh311 and stormingnight: Thank you. I know it's a bit weird but enjoy, this chapter is for you guys :D

Disclaimer: Oh! Oh! Oh! I own nothing. You know the drill. :(

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><p>Konoha: 10 years ago<p>

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><p>Ranbou Kirite: the Leaf Dancer. An epithet he earned because of the way he fought, dancing with the elements like a whirling dervish, leaving nothing but battered corpses and broken wills in his wake. His appearance meant death to anyone who would dare stand against him and his presence empowered allies. His charisma was such that he could make even the most cowardly of soldiers stand valiantly against a horde of vicious enemies.<p>

Strong Taijutsu and Perfect Ninjutsu and Weapons use, these abilities made him the perfect fighter, able to engage enemies at any range and in any terrain. Completely at home in the battlefield, one would not find any trace of fear or panic in this man. Hailed for the extraordinary ability to expand his chakra out in a branch-like fashion, this unique skill lets him use devastating jutsus with a large Area-of-Effect like Katon: Kogasuyari no Jutsu.

He used to be the Captain of the Queen Division, a special group comprising of the cream of the crop. A group who takes orders only from the Hokage. Since its inception, only fifteen people have been deemed worthy of joining this division of the elite of the elite.

It was even rumored that he would be next in line for the position of Hokage. This would have been reality if he didn't disappear one day without any say. No trace of any kind was left, not even the best trackers can find a trail. Rumors of an abduction floated around for some time but none could prove this. Though he was a promising young Shinobi, the Council had no choice but to label him as a missing nin. Hunters were dispatched to find him and bring him back; alive or in a body bag.

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><p>Two years after his disappearance though, he returned but the Ranbou Kirite everyone knew and loved was gone. In his stead was a cold, calculating monster that lusted for blood; a pitiless, barbaric man without any sense of humanity or remorse. What used to be an elegant dancer of the elements is now reduced to a predatory butcher.<p>

It was then that some of the worst murders to ever grace Konoha happened. It was still fresh in people's minds, gore everywhere, bloodcurdling screams and then, an eerie silence.

The killer would first intentionally injure himself and seek help or shelter. When accepted into a home, he would act decent and normal around them, even helping out at times as recalled by a survivor. Then when the victims slept for the night, his work began. A quick club on the head to incapacitate the unfortunate victims then ropes to tie them up securely.

The killing style was consistent; first he would flay the victims alive and then would wear the skins like some sort of grotesque jacket. Next, he would gouge out the eyes and pull out a few hairs.

Then he would season and cook select parts of the body and then eat it (The Main Course as he recalled with delight). The liver, pubic area and the thigh are his favorite parts as evidenced by the missing flesh in almost all of the bodies. The macabre sight along with the terrible stench in the scene of the murders caused even the most hardened Shinobi to gag on arrival.

Before Kirite could be apprehended, he hit five houses and killed more than seventy people, civilians and Shinobi alike. The events of the past two years seemed to have broken him, a grim slayer with absolutely no sense of sympathy is all that remains.

After capture, he would recall fondly how he would slowly cook the choicest parts and baste it with blood seasoned with salt and pepper with a bit of chili. He recalled with pleasure how he made soup out the gouged out eyes, onion, ginger and stock from the bones. The way he told it was what set the interrogators on edge. It was not like a serial killer just enjoying the thrill of the kill. No...it was more like a cook telling people about his favorite recipe.

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><p>His fall was a sad case indeed. Konoha has lost one of it's most elite to Kami knows what.<p>

He was restrained and put in captivity to be studied and hopefully healed. In the following years, his condition improved mildly and his aggression lessened to the point where people can approach him without fear of being mauled. The moments of lucidity were few and far between and in those times all he talked about was the Snake-man; fear and panic clearly etched in his voice.

"I was a bad subject...gonna execute me...just escaped...NNNGGGG!" he usually says amid sobs and moans

"He said I was his favorite..."

"He said he was going ta fill me up with lights and pretty things" he sobbed

"I HATE HIM! GRAAGHHH!" he roared more that a few times

The people handling Kirite eventually found out what happened to him when they deciphered what the compounds scattered in his body were. Put simply, he was experimented on. Various animal DNA were spliced onto his, completely rewriting his programming and erasing all sense of self. This also changed his physical make-up, his lithe and agile frame turned beefy and cumbersome. Fluid motions turned rigid and clumsy.

His brain was opened and injected with some kind of serum that increased brain efficiency, letting the brain perform at a rate that could keep up with a supercomputer. Unfortunately this had the side-effect of inducing uncontrollable rage and aggression. Said snake-man also harvested some body parts: a chunk of liver, a kidney and both of the testicles. Finally as some sort of cruel, twisted joke, the man replaced part of the skull that was removed with a metal plate that said blood.

A fitting word as to what Kirite has become, a pitiless machine that could only be sated with blood and death.

A few years after his capture, he escaped and that was when he crossed paths with Naruto which was what eventually caused his untimely demise. They are still searching for the Snake-man. Fearing that one day he will strike again, that one day he will deal another crippling blow to Konoha's elite.

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><p>Forest of Death: Present Time<p>

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><p>Ah, what a fine day to be in the Forest of Death. Don't let the name fool you, it's really pretty nice inside this sprawling little piece of hell. Trees hundreds of years old clawed up toward the sky, their green canopy blocking out most of the light, bathing the forest floor in an ethereal glow. The dense woodland abounded with strange creatures, gracefully pouncing and killing each other. Most of them were just bigger and enhanced versions of local flora and fauna, mutating and evolving in order to cope up with the harsh environs.<p>

A prime example of this is the Terra Worm which was simply a gigantic, bus-sized worm. It uses its razor sharp fangs which are curved inward to hold onto its prey and rip out large pieces of flesh. The spiky protrusions running along the length of it's gelatinous body acting as a defense to deter potential attackers.

Others like the Shoomba were the epitome of the word aberration; an apex predator of his accursed wood, they hunt with no quarter until the target is ripped to shreds. The species usually have a sickly green coloration to better blend in with the foliage. They feature a robustly built humanoid torso covered with metallic, interlocking plates giving ample protection whilst not hindering movement. The lower torso connects to four broad and powerful legs that taper to a point. These legs are covered in the same material as the plates. Connected to its frame are four heavily muscled arms ending in curved claws which they use to capture prey. These defining characteristics give it an arachnid-like visage that commands fear and dread in anything that dare face it.

They feature large humanoid faces adorned with huge mouths filled to the brim with conical fangs, which upon closer inspection, constantly drip out a potent venom. Once injected into the prey, the venom first causes paralysis followed by the destruction of soft tissue, the venom is so strong that it overtakes the immune system and the victim succumbs to blood loss due to internal bleeding soon after the venom is injected. The venom's potency was such that recorded history accounts that ancient shinobi did at one time use the Shoomba's venom in battle. Though still used, it has lost it's popularity due to the difficulty of obtaining it besides, newer fabricated poisons have stronger effects.

Mouths with flickering tongues replace the eyes. Since they are effectively blind, they use the tongues to taste chemical movements in the air so they can locate their prey. Though they have no vision of their surroundings, make no mistake, they make their attacks with frightening precision and sense any threat before it even comes close.

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><p>A lone Shoomba stalked it's prey, a large centipede gnawing on a rotting tree when a huge explosion rocked the clearing and alerted the centipede to the Shoomba's presence. It quickly scuttled away, leaving a hungry and pissed off Shoomba. It snarled as it made it's way to the source of the disturbance.<p>

More explosions echoed out from a part of the forest, disturbing the local wildlife and causing quite a few birds to fly away in alarm.

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><p>Naruto charged at Lee, delivering a powerful hook aimed at the young beast's temple. The green-clad youth fluidly deflected the extended limb using a circular motion of one arm and then countered with a drilling jab targeted at the boy's solar plexus. Naruto sidestepped the punch and quickly surged forwards, striking Lee square on the jaw with a gazelle uppercut. It hit but then Lee used the momentum to perform a lightning fast back flip, walloping Naruto's chin as a counter. Both combatants moved back to gauge each other before resuming.<p>

"Excellent use of Ishihada Naruto-kun" commended Lee as he resumed his stance

Naruto popped the kinks in his neck and smiled at the boy opposite him. "You're not so bad at it yourself"

A moment later, the orange boy blurred from existence and appeared in front of Lee and unloaded a chin-crushing upper kick that sent Lee flying. Naruto followed the boy skyward and delivered a series of blindingly fast punches and kicks before ending with a brutal double axe handle that sent Lee plummeting toward the forest floor. The smug boy landed nimbly in front of the small crater Lee was buried in, grinning like a loon all the while.

Lee just rose up nonchalantly from the ruined earth and dusted himself off, seemingly unfazed from the assault. Then...

"NARUTO-KUN, LET US BURN BRIGHTLY WITH THE FLAMES OF YOUTH" Lee proclaimed out loud, aforementioned flames burning passionately in his determined orbs.

"I may have hit him too hard" Naruto muttered, sweatdropping "Well, can't complain, here's when the fun starts" he added

With that, both boys released the cumbersome iron weights attached to their legs and forearms, effectively reducing mobility and striking power.

CRASH!

A veritable dust cloud billowed out as the insanely heavy weights hit Terra Firma.

Both boys were nowhere to be found until a resonating crash echoed out, the two opposing forces blowing the dust cloud outward. The two boys collided with each other, the pressure generated from each strike and hit creating shockwaves that rippled outward. Large gashes on the ground were torn and some trees were uprooted, the pure physical energy emanating from both combatants was so immense that it appeared as faint auras surrounding them. They moved with such fervor that their movements blurred, their bodies cutting through the very air. Another explosion resounded as both boy's fists met, a moment later, they blurred out.

The two warriors clashed again, they traded punches but then Lee got the upper hand and a spinning back kick hit home, sending Naruto crashing onto some trees. Said trees groaned as they fell to earth, their trunks demolished. The fallen timber caused a sizeable dust cloud which obscured Naruto from Lee's vision.

Without warning, a huge trunk section blasted out of the dust cloud and made a beeline toward Lee. The emerald fighter quickly reacted with a well timed roundhouse kick that deflected the projectile. A few more of the freakishly fast logs shot out, seemingly thrown haphazardly. Naruto, feeling the distraction sufficient enough, snuck up on Lee and grabbed the youthful boy around the waist, catching him off guard. The blonde boy then lifted and slammed Lee onto the ground as hard as he can, performing a perfect textbook German Suplex sending up a plume of dust and burying Lee's head up to the shoulders.

Naruto felt satisfied as he let go of Lee and stood up, snickering at the boy whose head was still planted firmly on the ground. Lee quickly recovered from the attack and pushed hard, freeing himself from the crater, at the same time he spun with his legs outstretched, performing an inverted Hurricane Kick.

It hit multiple times causing Naruto to stagger back, Lee used this momentary loss of balance to right himself and perform a double palm thrust that hit Naruto on the chest, causing the orange blot to skid back a few feet.

Said orange blot just smirked and disappeared again. He appeared behind Lee with a vicious axe kick, it appeared to have hit but Naruto felt his foot connect with nothing.

"Hmph... Chō onsoku kaihi" Naruto muttered as he surveyed his surroundings, wary of where the green clad powerhouse might come from.

Without warning, the earth below trembled and a moment later, Lee exploded out with a powerful uppercut that sent Naruto airborne, Lee then followed up with a series of blinding kicks, each strike having enough power to pulverize bedrock.

Before the ending heel drop could smash onto him, Naruto regained his composure and roughly pulled on Lee's leg, getting the opposing boy off balance, the orange boy then mounted Lee and jumped off, using the spandex clad boy as a springboard to land safely. Lee on the other hand didn't have such a graceful landing as he crashed yet again onto the ground due to Naruto kicking off of him.

Lee stood up and gazed intently at the boy before him.  
>"NARUTO-KUN! I HAVE TRULY ENJOYED THIS SPAR OF OURS! I YOUTHFULLY PRAY TO THE YOUTHFUL GODS THAT THIS NEVER ENDS!" Lee bellowed out pumping his fist, eyes sparkling due to sheer rapture.<p>

"Uuhh, Lee we have ten minutes till class begins" Naruto said matter-of-factly

"THEN WE SHALL FINISH THIS IN ONE BLOW! IF I FAIL TO DEFEAT YOU, I SHALL MAKE MY WAY TO SCHOOL USING ONE HAND!" Lee bellowed yet again

Naruto was covering his ears at this point, it's a miracle that he survived this long hanging around with two loud...no, scratch that, REALLY loud people.

He remembered those first few days he spent with these monsters, he couldn't get the ringing out of his ears after the first week. Body battered and ears reeling, painful could not even begin to describe what he was feeling then. Gai was an absolute sadist when it came to training, if Naruto didn't or couldn't do what was told of him, he was forced to do something HARDER. And if he didn't do it, they sparred and sparring with Gai equals suicide. It was like defending yourself against a tank that could teleport anywhere without warning and deliver a whole world of pain.

After three pain-filled months of intense training (Read: Train till you bleed training) with Lee and Gai, he grew to appreciate their loyalty, dedication and iron-bound resolve. Honestly, these two are some of the best people he had ever met in his life.

Ever since he found out about **_that_**_, _his world was ruined, his dreams were dashed. He couldn't even find it in him to get out of bed let alone do other things. He shut other people out, and lost his usual cheer.

Those two restored his faith, rejuvenated his spirit and gave him hope to look into the future with a smile on his face. Hell, one day he might even wear those evil spandex things and shout about youthfulness all around town.

* * *

><p>Flashback<p>

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><p>After the ANBU were done cleaning up, Sarutobi sent a few Yamanakas to perform Memory Wipe Jutsus on the children (Read: He wanted mentally sane people not emotionally scarred wrecks) and everything went without incident for the rest of the year. Well if you didn't count the supposedly dead Naruto waltzing in to school the next week like nothing happened, it was pretty normal.<p>

To say that the people at The Morgue were traumatized was a bit of an understatement. Most of them panicked and considered a change in career. A lot thought of Naruto as a Harbinger of Doom sent by Kami to cleanse the land of its taint. Most of them grovelled in front of him and discussed among themselves who would be sacrificed to quell Kami's rage.

"OR maybe it was just from too much coffee?" a veteran medic pondered

"Nonsense! One can never have too much coffee! This delusion was caused by too LITTLE coffee!" another medic refuted the claim

"EVERYONE! ON TO THE COFFEE MACHINES!" and with that battle charge, many of the staff went to sate their caffeine fix

"Maybe they put narcotics in the coffee?" a young medic thought out loud as he drank his coffee

"Silence! Thou Shalt Not Blaspheme COFFEE!" shrieked a senior medic as she smacked the coffee mug off the blasphemous medic's hands

"THOU SHALL BE SACRIFICED TO QUELL THE HARBINGER'S RAGE!" she shrieked yet again

The medics gathered then began to chant "Sacrifice!" in a grim tone. The room went eerily dark and the surrounding medics suddenly gained torches and pitchforks...Where the hell did those come from?

The more sane (Read: Non-Caffeine Addicted) medics then moved in to save the poor guy before something out of hand happened and moved him away saying something about dressing him up so the Harbinger would be pleased. The rookie medic then began to claw at the floor, unaware that he was being saved.

After that, an orgy of Caffeine binging ensued

Ooooh! Swirling colors! Trippy! Said one medic as she began to spin around

Look! A Buttrape! Said a medic, apparently high on the stimulant

What's that? Asked another whilst drinking her coffee

A fusion of a Butterfly and an Ape! Yelled another

I see it too! Pointed the janitor who was apparently a caffeine addict himself

"Beautiful" they all chorused, eyes glassed over

After they have sufficiently calmed down from their caffeine induced delusion, they contacted the Hokage to bring him the news, it was just impossible, nothing like this has ever happened before, but there they were casually talking to a boy who was dead just a few hours ago. The little guy was pretty cool, making jokes and talking about really complicated stuff like unique chakra theories and applications. (They did not cover subjects THAT complicated in the Academy) So as they talked, the medics were learning new things to apply in their line of work and Naruto was just soaking up everything the medics were saying.

Upon arriving, the old man talked to the receptionist people usually go to to get cold, dead corpses, this is the first (And probably last) time a healthy person is to be discharged from The Morgue. The place was clean to a fault, white tiles covered every inch of the place and soft, calming music played in the background. Weirdly, the place did not smell strongly of alcohol or bleach as he had anticipated.

As the wizened man waited, he thought about how this could have happened but scrapped it, he didn't care how or why but Naruto was alive and that's all that mattered. When Naruto appeared, the old man gave his surrogate grandson a hug, thanked the medics and took the boy home to celebrate.

* * *

><p>The Prep Academy was over and the remaining participants were being screened out in a special room in the small academy. Each one being checked up for any physical deformities or any other abnormality that would be detrimental to being a Ninja. It has been said that a Ninja is the perfect combination of physical and mental conditioning coupled with perfect technique usage. Konoha would burn to the ground before it would let useless mongrels join it's elite.<p>

"Hokage-sama! I regret to inform you that Naruto-san cannot use chakra! I sense no chakra at all in him" exclaimed a Medic Nin as he checked up on a sedated Naruto

"Impossible! Check again" said the aged leader, worry clearly evident in his voice

"As you wish sir!" said the unnamed Medic Nin as he pumped chakra into the boy, hoping for a response "...There really is nothing, I'm sorry sir"

"...But...but that would mean, he is dead, but he is alive...isn't he?" Sarutobi asked calmly

"Yes sir and his vital signs are perfectly fine, how could this be?" said the Med Nin, clearly perplexed

"I don't know, usually even civilians can exercise a bit of chakra. It's freakin' life essence for Kami's sake" a burly Medic Nin said

As the senior Ninja in the room discussed things among themselves, they sensed something HUGE. As Naruto lay there, a delicate shroud of light danced around his form.

'This light...it feels strangely familiar' pondered the elder fire shadow as he approached the sleeping kid

A moment later, it suddenly stopped and then without warning, it hurtled upward; forming a pillar of a soft purple light.

The light pillar carrying with it so much power that even the Hokage himself had difficulty breathing due to the sheer pressure it radiated.

...And then...nothing. The strange energy disappeared as quick as it had shown up. The room was in complete silence as everyone tried to catch their breaths and then...

"Maybe he really IS the Harbinger of Doom sent by Kami to engulf us all in destruction and despair" A Medic Nin shouted hysterically

"Oh no! We must offer sacrifices in order to appease his wrath!" screamed out quite a few

The old man massaged his temples in a swirling motion, hoping to suppress the headache he knew was coming 'This boy really is something' he thought

"Silence! Can you really believe what you are saying?" The old man boomed in his Hokage voice.

The room suddenly fell quiet. 'I love being able to do that'

"You all, no one will know the what happened in this room. This will be an S-class secret for you, should word of this ever get out..." the Hokage paused for effect "...the Queen will come to collect." the aged man finished grimly

The room went cold as ice. Everyone knew that what the Hokage said was law and anyone who would dare to break it would never be heard of again.

"Do I make myself clear?" the old man said, snapping the medics out of their reverie

The people in the room saluted "Hai Hokage-sama!"

"Now...check him again" the old man motioned the young medic

"Still nothing sir" said the medic, half expecting the old man to strike him down due to frustration

The Hokage however just sighed 'Still nothing...'

He had hoped that that sudden surge of energy somehow released Naruto's dormant chakra. Well, no luck there.

* * *

><p>As they went home for the day, Sarutobi pondered on how to tell the young boy of his condition. It would break his young heart for sure, but it had to be done. The aged man figured that not telling him would do more harm in the long run.<p>

As they entered the house, the smell of a grand feast made it's way to their noses. 'Looks like Biwako pulled out the stops on this one' Sarutobi thought, still wracking his mind on ways to tell Naruto of his condition without sounding too harsh.

As they entered the dining area, they saw rows upon rows of the most delicious food they can ever imagine. A petite woman in her early sixties greeted them, she had chestnut brown hair with green eyes along with a face with strong features.

"Welcome boys, you're just in time for dinner. I knew today is Naru-tan's graduation so I did something special tonight" said the woman as she motioned them to their seats

"Your food is always good Gammy!" Naruto chirped as he shovelled food into his mouth, this was already his tenth serving.

"Nothing but the best for our Naru-tan" smiled the aforementioned Gammy as she pinched Naruto's cheek

"Aye, Biwako is the best cook this side of Konoha" Sarutobi said contently as he cut up his steak

"That's why you love me so much, don't you Saru-chaaan" the lady teased

Sarutobi's cheeks reddened at the mention of his pet name, the redness deepened when his wife scratched his chin lightly

"Geez, get a room you guys" Asuma said as he looked away

After the sumptuous dinner, Sarutobi called the family for a brief meeting. 'Hoo Boy' the man thought

Naruto thought it was a reward of some sort for his achievement. Maybe his Gran-Gran was finally going to teach him a jutsu! He was so giddy with excitement.

"Ha! I'll catch up to you and Gran-Gran one day Asu-nii" Naruto gloated

Asuma just ruffled the boy's hair, smiling "You do that little bro, then we'll spar one day" he chuckled, he already knew of Naruto's condition and tried his best not to patronize the kid, Naruto hates being treated that way.

"Yeah! And I'll kick your butt!" Naruto rang, pumping his fist

"Language Naru-tan" snapped Biwako

Asuma snickered at this as he got out a cigarette, he was about ready to light it up when he saw his mother's ice-cold stare along with a shit-load of killing intent

"Sorry mom" Asuma said quickly as he pocketed the cancer stick

"Sorry Gammy" Naruto apologized sheepishly

"As long as you both understand" She smiled and returned to her usual cheery self

"You know, mom's not just a master cook, I heard she killed an entire enemy division single-handedly in the last war" Asuma whispered to his Lil' Bro

"Scary" Naruto murmured

Sarutobi cleared his throat, he had to do this, it was for Naruto's own good.

"Naruto, I have something to tell you..."

* * *

><p>The news struck Naruto hard, he ran to his room crying, locked the doors and windows and refused to come out. Even the offer of Biwako's special ramen didn't make him budge. Sarutobi finally let the boy think it out, the issue was something Naruto had to sort out himself.<p>

"If you need something, we are just here Naruto" the old man said as he passed by Naruto's room

He had told Naruto that Jutsus that required Chakra are out of his reach. The old man left the strange energy part out, he still had to figure it out.

What was it and Where did it come from? The old man has yet to figure the mystery out.

The boy eventually opened the door the next day, looking for food. He ate but not like he used to, the light left his eyes, his spirit was gone. When talked to, he spoke in a hollow tone. He appeared totally melancholic, you could slit his throat right then and there and he wouldn't care any.

This behavior continued on for a few days until the elder got an idea, maybe there still was a chance that Naruto could enter the ranks of the elite. It would be equal to torture but this was the only chance Naruto had at the moment. The (Dashingly Handsome?) Green Beast, the captain of the Knight Division. A man that could decimate any Ninja using purely Taijutsu. Word is that he can beat anyone lower than Jounin with only one handed finger flicks. If there was someone who can whip Naruto into shape, this is the guy.

If he can convince the others that a Ninja could also be efficient without the use of Jutsus, the plan would go without a hitch.

The very next day The Green Beast was called to the Hokage's residence. A small puff of smoke from the Green Beast's shunshin signaled his arrival.

"Maito Gai reporting Hoakge-sama" the man said as he bowed respectfully

"At ease" the Hokage answered

"YOSH HOKAGE-SAMA! Where is the honored, impressionable young one?" Gai asked

The Hokage then motioned Naruto to come forward.

"THIS SHYNESS AND INSECURITY! I FEEL YOUR PAIN YOUNG NARUTO! LET ME GIVE YOU A MANLY HUG TO SHARE IN YOUR PAIN!" Gai screamed as he hugged Naruto, tears streaming down his face.

"Naruto, training will start tomorrow, is that fine with you?" the elder leader asked the boy gently

Naruto just nodded silently.

The boy was a bit apprehensive at first but he just went with it, what else could he do? He had a rocky start the first few days but he eventually warmed up. That was when Naruto's Taijutsu career started.

* * *

><p>Back to the fight<p>

* * *

><p>"Fine then" Naruto said as he closed his eyes<p>

The young warrior concentrated for a second, he took calming breaths and let his arms hang loose. A moment later, an explosion of energy rocketed through the boy's system. His heart rumbled inside his chest, beating at two times the normal rate and delivering blood at a rate far exceeding that of a normal human. Outside, his very skin turned to a light shade of scarlet due to the extreme speed of the blood coursing through him. Steam billowed out, the sweat evaporating due to the intense heat the boy was emanating.

This feat is possible without the rupturing of the heart and blood vessels because Naruto has an advanced physical structure, a kind of Kekkei Genkai. This allows him to consciously control the otherwise automatic beating of his heart and the life-or-death only response of the Adrenal Glands. His heart and blood vessels are also tougher than normal so as to withstand the drastic increase in blood flow.

The epinephrine secreted by the adrenal glands acts like a key to unlock the stockpiled energy and nutrients for use, with the increased heart rate, the nutrients along with oxygen are quickly and efficiently circulated around the body. In addition, synapses fire faster which results in better reactions and awareness. The result is a short burst of power and speed which lasts until the body's reserves are depleted, at which point, the body must recharge it's energy reservoirs. The instant power surge at this level is similar to the opening of the third celestial gate: The Gate of Life. (1)

With the burst of power, Naruto rubbed both his hands together and refined the electrical charge building up inside of him. A moment later, sparks flashed about and without warning, vicious electricity struck out like tentacles. He further focused the building electricity in his right hand, increasing its striking power. (2)

Lee then took on a distinct stance, suddenly his skin reddened and a green energy enveloped him. "THIRD GATE, LIFE GATE, OPEN!" the green boy announced

As the energy danced around him, Lee clenched his fists and spun his right hand so fast it became a blur. Intensifying the heat building up in his body, he focused it in his right hand which burst into a furious fire. (3) "NARUTO-KUN! YOU HONOR ME WITH THIS BATTLE"

Both boys cocked their arms, ready for the final charge.

Without warning, both boys kicked off, leaving sizeable craters in their wake.

Both fists met, unleashing a terrible pressure wave that whooshed outward, decimating anything within ten meters of the boys. The clash for power continued for a few seconds before it fizzled out, it seems that the boys were too evenly matched.

As the dust settled, we see both combatants lying on the ground, apparently burnt out.

Naruto weakly got up to his feet "Uuugh...Five minutes...left" he managed to utter out weakly

"That was a great match Naruto-kun" Lee said in his normal voice as he got up and did his signature nice guy pose, complete with the twinkling choppers.

Both boys laughed as they dusted themselves off and began to make their way to the Academy. Before they could leave however, they were disturbed when a hiss sounded behind them, it was the Shoomba and it just found two little morsels.

The two boys almost pissed themselves when the aberration lunged at them, teeth bared and claws ready to lop their heads clean off. They jumped off, narrowly avoiding the furiously fast beast. It made an angry hissing sound before a fleshy blade tipped tongue shot out of it's mouth and attempted to impale Naruto.

With his whole body protesting in pain, the boy sidestepped the whip-like projectile and pulled on it sending the monster lurching forward.

Meanwhile, Lee jumped on high and delivered a spinning heel drop directed at the base of the creature's neck, capitalizing on the momentary distraction caused by his comrade. The move backfired however as the monster's carapace proved too tough to penetrate.

The monster shrieked as it swiped at Lee who dodged the outstretched limb. With all of it's attention at Lee, it didn't notice the times three (4) powered Naruto barrelling toward it with a Tsunade-grade flying kick.

Heavy boot outsole met thick armor plating as Naruto's kick connected with a dull 'dwug'.

The monster's chest plate, an area where the armor is at it's strongest shattered much like delicate glass. The force of the kick propelling the jagged fragments inward, tearing into the beast's exposed chest. The brutish abomination hissed in pain as it swiped at Naruto leaving a rather nasty gash on the boy's chest.

A piercing shriek rang out of the monstrosity and as it flailed about, poisoned blood rushed out of it's mouth, drenching Naruto like a geyser.

The Shoomba quickly retreated, seems like these morsels aren't such easy food after all.

As Lee recovered, he saw Naruto lying down on the ground, a dull red liquid blossoming from his chest in torrents; the monster's light green colored blood mixing with it.

His enhanced regeneration should have sealed the wound by now, leaving no trace of the injury but his body is dangerously low on energy so the cells can't replicate as fast.

Lee, thinking quickly, threw a small brown pill into Naruto's mouth. The heavily bleeding boy chewed and swallowed as quick as he can. He had precious little time left before he bled to death.

As the pill ended up in his stomach, his enhanced metabolism quickly processed the pill, releasing and absorbing the desperately needed nutrients. The body then used the received nutrients to stitch up the wound.

* * *

><p>With his energy partially restored, Naruto sat up straight and shot a thumbs up at Lee who returned it complete with matching eye twinkle.<p>

The two boys just looked at each other still in the ridiculous poses...until a smile made its way to Naruto's face.

"Race?..." Naruto left the question hanging

Without warning Lee blurred out

"HEY! No fair!" said Naruto as he gave chase

As he jumped away, he felt that something was just not right with him, he couldn't pin point it but something was definitely off with his body.

* * *

><p>After frantic racing...<p>

* * *

><p>"We made it. Yeah!" Naruto said, just then his side burst into a burning pain. He winced a bit but kept his composure<p>

"Indeed Naruto-kun, we made it" Lee said, sounding like the ten mile sprint was nothing

The duo then walked toward their room assignment, people giving them strange looks. It wasn't really strange that people were looking at them like that because they looked like shit. The once orange shirt (5) of Naruto turned green from the Shoomba blood, it also had a lot of tears...no, scratch that, it looked more like wet tissue paper ready to give way at the slightest touch. His black shorts and steel toed boots remained miraculously intact.

Lee? Well his spandex thing is way more durable, almost no damage except for some cuts here and there. He just looks...dirty. And by dirty I mean walking-shit-pile dirty.

They then went to their respective lockers where they thankfully had extra clothes. They got changed and met up outside the classroom.

* * *

><p>...Outside the room assignment<p>

* * *

><p>"...Now if you just want to go for the shock factor. Guillotine traps are what you'd want." a familiar voice said inside. "Simply position a large blade or cutting implement above or anywhere near your target, couple it with a well hidden trigger and you are set to go. "<p>

Naruto carefully opened the door and snuck in, Lee following. Both controlled their muscles and timed their movements so that no one noticed their entry, this was working nicely for them until two pieces of chalk hit them both on the forehead.

"Your Kagenami needs work" said the voice

Naruto looked up..."Oh shit...Gai-sensei"

"YOSHA! AS PUNISHMENT, BOTH OF YOU WILL DO 50,000 CLAP PUSHUPS BEFORE TRAINING LATER!"

Naruto just shut up, he knew it would be worse if he complained. 'Where's the other loudmouth?'

"HAI SENSEI WE SHALL BASK IN THE ETERNAL SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!" Lee screamed as if on cue

'Ah there he is' he breathed out internally

Both of them resumed their seats and Gai returned to lecture mode.

"We shall have practicals later on the basics of trap making and survival in harsh climates. For your final exam later on in the year, you will be deployed in the Hoegleigh Dunes and be "hunted" by select chunin and jounin"

"Understood sir" the class said en masse

'Cool!' Naruto thought, he just loved survival training, that is why Lee and him always hung out in practically unforgiving areas like the Forest of Death. The both of them practically knew how to survive in any climate, with gear or no.

"Moving on...Deadfall traps..." Gai paused as he drew some schematics on the board "...As a general rule the weight must be at least five times heavier than that of your mark."

"Naruto!" Gai said without looking "...Incapacitate with as little physical injury as possible. What is the best trap setting to be used to meet the following requirements" Gai monologued as he finished with his trap illustrations and schematics.

As Naruto rose up to answer the question, he felt a sudden pull in his chest which went away as fast as it had come.

"Sir, the best trap would be..." there it went again but this time the pull didn't go away. He clutched his chest as he rasped in breaths.

"Sir..." he breathed in hard but no air came in. Suffocating, he clutched his throat, hoping to dislodge whatever it was that was preventing him from breathing.

He collapsed and started clawing at his throat like an animal. This left his throat with large, heavily bleeding gashes, they tried to stitch themselves back but more kept on coming.

Some students who were present started freaking out and inched away from him. Those with some medical training approached him carefully. Gai got to him first and tied back his hands with some ninja wire before he could damage himself more. The senior shinobi tried to carry him off to the hospital but before he could do that, a viscous green goo escaped from Naruto's mouth as the boy made choking sounds.

The boy coughed violently and started shaking like he's having an epileptic fit. Then, he screamed out. His stomach was afire with pain and his mouth burned, like his salivary glands suddenly decided to change it's mind and spew out acid instead instead of the oral fluid.

Everything went dark, though he could still hear the screams of a few girls from his class. He felt the wind as Gai-sensei launched off to the hospital and then...nothing, an all-consuming blackness enveloped him, refusing to let go.

* * *

><p>?<p>

* * *

><p>Naruto awoke with a start. What the hell happened to him?<p>

"Last thing I remember was spewing that green liquid on Ino. Man...will she be miffed at me when I come back" he chuckled

But the pain wasn't there. No throbbing head. No burning pain in the pit of his stomach.

He moved his tongue around his mouth and it felt fine. 'Something goes here...' he thought

Then, for the first time in quite a while, he took in his surroundings. He was in some sort of dead canyon or rather, floating above it. Overhead were dark clouds that constantly churned out unnaturally large lightning bolts. Violent winds also whipped about in intervals and what seemed to be angry roars could he heard from a distance. This whole place seemed to be steeped in some kind of dark energy; even he could feel it.

'Is this a dream?' he thought

He lifted his right arm and punched himself on the face. It hurt.

'Oooohh...That smarts. Nope, not a dream' he monologued and he pondered where he is and what had happened.

Before he could think further, a tingly, gripping sensation in his chest alerted him. It's as if something inside him was telling him to go somewhere. That there was something big going on somewhere nearby.

Without any destination in mind, he ambled forward, just letting the feeling in his chest guide him. Eventually, he happened upon a gorge and he could tell that this was no ordinary place. If most of the canyon he saw was dead and desolate then this place is the next level. It was more dead-er and desolate-er than the rest of the place. Its as if death itself called this area home sweet home. Geysers spewed out black jets of gasses that continued upward and further fueled the fierce lightning storm. A red miasma seeped from the ground along with a strange sound reminiscent of pained moans.

'Whoah. Creepy' rang the floating boy

Then as if on cue, the tingly sensation in his chest turned into a piercing pain. He took slow, calming breaths but this did little to abate the ache.

* * *

><p>Naruto then saw a grim figure wreathed in a dark hooded coat (6), it was about his height, give or take a few inches. By this time the pain has lessened into a dull throb.<p>

'Man, that coat looks so badass' Naruto thought

"Heeeey! Yooouuu!" Naruto screamed at the figure through cupped hands

'Hmmm...It's either he can't see me or he's just being a royal douche' Naruto thought as he put a finger on his chin

"Oh well, let's just see what happens here" Naruto said as he kicked back

It strode forward, straight toward the center of this unholy place. "What's it doing?" Naruto asked no one in particular

It stopped in front of some kind of crystal formation "Come on out Chaos-chan, I'm waiting" the cloaked man said in a teasing tone

Naruto looked on. "Who is he talking to? Must be one of those crazy types. Yeap, people sure are weird nowadays"

...

No answer

"Well if you're going to be all bitchy like that, then I'll have to punish you" it said in the same mocking tone

The hooded man crossed his arms and lightly tapped the ground with his foot. What happened next positively mind-fucked Naruto. An explosion radiated from the point of contact and decimated the entire area, the observing boy even expected to be charbroiled in the ensuing surge of energy. But he was unscathed, seems like all that originated from this realm could not interact with him and that probably vice versa.

From the ruins of the area, a humanoid figure shrouded in crimson flames flitted out.

"**Must you destroy everything you lay your grubby little hands on, youngling?**"a deep, raspy voice came from the figure as it shook it's head

"Well I though you forgot about me...you never called back" the black figure said in a whiny tone

"**I grow weary of this conversation. I have more...pressing things to attend to.**" the voice came as if sighing

"Awww...don't you love me anymore" deadpanned the cloaked man with a fake sob

"**Finish him, I will take care of the rebellion myself**" it said as it turned around

As soon as the word was said, shadowy masses erupted from the ground and congregated at a single point.

A large four legged obsidian monster stood there snapping it's fang ridden mouth at the unfazed man. Barbed spikes covered it's heavily armored form and a multi-bladed tail completed the shielded creature's arsenal. (7)

The figure sighed and before the observer could blink, the creature was sliced into sushi bits.

"You underestimate me Chaosbringer." the cloaked man said grimly as he looked on

The cloaked man now sported a large scythe. It featured a long and wide blade with heavily jagged edges, it looked almost like a lump of unrefined metal. A glowing eye-like gem embedded on the point where blade met snaith. Said gem connected to a thin silver chain that floated about, as if suspended by some unseen force. The snaith twisted slightly to provide ease of use and fluidity of movement.

"Wha..? How?" sputtered Naruto, flabbergasted. He didn't even catch a glimpse of the attack. 'I've been training with some real speedfreaks but this guy...he's on a whole other level'

"**Ah, yes. If you insist on being difficult then I shall dispose of you myself. Consider this an honor youngling. Not many have seen my Avatar and lived to tell of it**." the Chaosbringer said as he let his energy spring forth and engulf this cretin that dared to disrupt his plans

"Well come on th-..." the figure stopped abruptly and surveyed the area behind him and focused on the point where our little observer has been for some time now.

'Oh, shit! Is he looking at me? Can he see me?' Naruto thought as he panicked

'Leave! You do not belong here.' came a booming voice inside Naruto's head as he saw the hooded man stretch out his arms toward him, palm facing the now discovered observer.

Without warning, a powerful force yanked him backwards and darkness engulfed everything.

* * *

><p>(1): Is it too obvious where I derived this? Cookie to whoever guesses right. :)))<p>

(2): A weaker Chidori. Pyroelectricity combined with bio-electricity produced by the body.

(3): Another cookie to whoever gets this

(4): Heart rate times three, in case you get confused

(5): Just an orange shirt, not that jacket thing he wears in the manga

(6): Organization XIII coat. If you don't know, Google is your best friend

(7): A really mean Ankylosaurus

Techniques:

Katon: Kogasuyari no Jutsu – Fire Release: Searing Spears Technique

Ishihada - Stoneskin

Chō onsoku kaihi - SuperSonic Evade

Kagenami - Shadow Step

* * *

><p>Too cliche?<p>

Comments? Suggestions? Violent Reactions?

Make sure to let me know what you think about this new chappie :D

kthxbai!


	3. Tie that Sum'bitch

Chapter 3 - Tie that Sum'bitch

Midterms are here and this blows :( I probably won't be able to update in quite a while

'_Thought_'

"Human Dialogue"

"**Demon Dialogue**"

"_**Unknown**_"

"_Celestial Dialogue_"

"Technique"

Disclaimer: Oh! Oh! Oh! I own nothing. You know the drill. :(

On to the Story!

* * *

><p>?<p>

* * *

><p>Years of experimentation yielded few viable results. He was still a long way from creating the perfect vessel. He had managed to include beneficial traits like Kirite's unique chakra composition and Kimimaro's bone generation and manipulation but the bodies produced only lasted for a few hours at best. He was missing something, something to make the traits bind together without the body disintegrating. (1)<p>

And the Sharingan...oh how it broke his heart that he needed more advanced medical techniques and chemical compounds to successfully synthesize a fully functional Sharingan, all attempts at recreating one with the current compounds and procedures resulted in an incomplete eye, paling in comparison to the real thing. For now, he just had to make do with a lesser dojutsu that could not even evolve like the original. A retarded Sharingan that only had illusion piercing and movement tracking capabilities; a far cry from the original.

The Uchiha Clan Massacre had been a gift from Kami, he went to the site faster than any ANBU Operative or Shinobi Police could respond and took as much blood samples as his heart desired. He had to be careful about harvesting eyes though lest the authorities suspect anything afoot.

Soon he would be able to make use of the survivor; it would not be long until he devised a viable way to recreate the Sharingan and forge the perfect body. 'Beautiful eyes, giving sight bestowed by the Shinigami himself' he thought with anticipation, a vessel for him that even the gods would be envious of

The serpentine man was snapped out of his reverie when his assistant entered his room with a bow. The violet clad boy looked excited, it seemed like planting him in Konoha was a good idea.

"It looks like you have some good news for me" the man said

"Indeed Orochimaru-sama, I have stumbled upon a rather...interesting case as I made my rounds through the hospital" a bespectacled boy said to a man shrouded in shadow

"An Uzumaki Naruto was admitted to the hospital early today. The boy showed signs of shock stemming from a violent mutation; his body was literally a mess. Reports claim that the boy had been exposed to Shoomba blood, a deadly mutagenic compound. Naturally, I thought that this would be another dissection but the boy seemed to be taking it well, there were some acute reactions but they subsided after a few hours" the boy said

"I have worked with Shoomba blood before and some...anomalies survived, a few hours at most. They did not even show beneficial mutations. What is so special about this Uzumaki boy" the man in the shadows lazily said with a wave of the hand, apparently disappointed at the news

"Orochimaru-sama, I have reason to believe that this boy has the right physical traits that we have been searching for." the silver haired youth reported to his master

"And why is that?" the man said with a bit of irritation, he hated waiting

"I checked his blood and the white blood cells I found are unique, like nothing I have seen before. His immune system constantly evolves and mutates, it does not simply destroy threats; it assimilates foreign bodies and memorizes the structure. This makes him practically immune to anything that enters his bloodstream and tries to kill him." The boy continued as he handed his master a vial filled with ruby liquid

Orochimaru became sorely interested now, with that kind of immune system he is one step closer to the immortality that he so jealously covets. He looked at the vial longingly, excited at unlocking the secret hidden within the boy's lifeblood. The constantly evolving quality of the blood may the missing key to stabilize the DNA and make the traits harmonize.

"And the best part...he has successfully assimilated the Shoomba blood and as of this afternoon, the boy is showing subtle mutations. With the rate of change and assimilation, I expect the changes to continue for a week or so" The boy reported as he checked his notes

"Oh Kabuto-kun, do tell me more" Orochimaru cooed, barely hiding his excitement. This Uzumaki boy is a good candidate as his next vessel, but no. He will reveal the boy's secrets and use it to forge the perfect body, a body fit for him and only him.

"So far, I have observed enhanced regenerative capabilities and a complex biopolymer resembling chitin growing just under his dermis. Every time I made an incision, the flesh would quickly begin to mend. I tried going deeper but the chitinous material proved too tough, even a chakra powered circular saw yielded no effect" the boy said, a bit irritated that he wasn't able to get more samples from the boy

"Monitor the boy closely; I want you to find out all that you can. Get more blood and if you can, some marrow samples as well. We will harvest the fruit when the time is right" Orochimaru ordered his servant

* * *

><p>Training Ground 5<p>

Naruto Age: 8

* * *

><p>Pained groans could be from a distance as the ground itself groaned from each movement. Upon closer inspection two figures can be seen going through some gruelling conditioning. An imposing figure pacing back and forth, apparently instructing them on how to do the exercises properly.<p>

"Naruto-kun, do not forget to breathe! Many warriors tire themselves out by not breathing properly" Gai barked as he passed by a profusely sweating Naruto

"Hai! Gai-sensei" Naruto managed to say in between gulps of air

"Top form Lee-kun, remember to monitor your breathing" Gai advised his student

"HAI! THE FLAMES OF YOUTH IN ME SHALL FORGE FORWARD" Lee said as he did another rep

"...498...499...500...YOSH! 500 20-ton squats done!" Lee cheered in triumph as he removed the weights and stretched his punished body

"Naruto-kun, I see that you have caught on to Lee-kun in terms of strength and endurance" Gai praised the young warrior

"Arigato Gai-sensei, but I'm still nowhere near Lee when it comes to speed. That guy is a monster" Naruto chirped as he took in a lungfull of air

"Never compare yourself with others Naruto-kun, the only one you are up against is yourself" the senior warrior said fatherly as he ruffled Naruto's hair

"Alright then. Both of you! Let me see how much you have improved. Can you handle what I can give?" Gai said as he took on the Gōken (Strong Fist) stance "A decisive hit and it is your victory. I shall give no quarter nor shall I expect any in return"

Both boys looked at each other and nodded. Naruto blurred out and Lee engaged Gai in close quarters.

The emerald warrior unloaded a flurry of piercing punches but Gai deflected all of them with fluid circular motions and then countered with a focused palm thrust which prompted Lee to duck out and counter with a leg sweep. The attack hit but it did little to damage the mountain that is Maito Gai.

'Blindside...Here we go!' Naruto's mental battle shout came as he approached from above

Naruto somersaulted and unloaded a brutal heel drop on Gai, tagging the veteran fighter's right shoulder. Gai sank a few inches into the ground but ultimately the sneak attack did nothing to harm the ever youthful man. 'Crap! His Ishihada is too strong'

"You lack conviction in your attack Naruto-kun" Gai said as unleashed a deadly side kick that sent Naruto skidding for a few feet, Ishihada protecting him from most of the force from the attack. But damn! That kick had enough force to penetrate his Ishihada and even put a few cracks on his underguard. Playtime is over, seems like Gai is playing for keeps this time.

Lee caught Naruto before he smashed onto some trees "Nice save Lee-man" Naruto said with a double thumbs up

"Double Team, let us go Naruto-kun" Lee said shrilly

With that, both warriors launched off and faced Gai. The two friends dished out blurs of straights, hooks, kicks and elbows but none seemed to pass through Gai's impenetrable guard. The few times that an attack did connect, the teacher acted like it was nothing and countered. On the occasion that Naruto thought he was about to score a powerful hit, an afterimage takes his freakish teacher's place.

Two of the six chi (physical energy) techniques make up this stalwart wall of defense. First, Ishihada, the Stoneskin, this technique makes use of the user's perfect muscle control to grant the body stone-like toughness. This lets the body absorb blows that could potentially kill and lets the user outlast the opposition. The strength of this technique is in proportion to the strength and muscle control of the user; stronger user = stronger Ishihada. One drawback of this technique is that the human body can only take so much damage; even stones break when hit hard enough. This is where Chō onsoku kaihi, Supersonic Avoidance comes in. This combines ultra-fast movements with accurate movement prediction letting the user get out before a hit lands then deliver a crippling counter-attack or move to a more strategic location.

When Gai taught these moves to Naruto and Lee, he first showed them how to do it for a few days and then beat them to a pulp until their bodies got the picture. As old people used to say, all it takes is a little repetition. Now both boys use the moves automatically, the body not needing a prompt from the brain. And as an additional boon, their pain threshold increased tenfold.

Both boys continued relentlessly with their assault but Gai's iron clad defense didn't seem to falter at all. Naruto jumped back to put some distance between them and Lee followed suit. Naruto however did not stay stationary for long because a moment later he dashed forward with enough speed to rival a Jounin.

The orange clad boy went for a sweeping kick and Lee quickly followed with a heel drop aimed at their sensei's head. Both attacks hit in sync and Gai's face met hard ground. The timing of the attacks was so precise that you'd think both boys were conversing telepathically in setting up that combo.

"A decisive hit just like you said Gai-sensei" Naruto grinned as he fist bumped Lee

"YOSHA GAI-SENSEI! IT IS OUR WIN THIS TIME!" Lee said as he pumped a fist

'He's twitching, something is wrong' Naruto thought as he took a few cautionary steps away

Sure enough, Gai exploded up as he got to his feet, tears streaming down his face. "I NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS COULD REACH THIS LEVEL IN SUCH A SHORT TIME! I SHALL HOLD BACK NO LONGER!" Gai yelled out in glee as he released about half of weight and suppression seals binding him, this liberated about 60% of his normal capacity.

"Whoooah! Are you freaking kidding me?" Naruto sweatdropped as he felt the pressure from the power emanating from Gai

Lee just smiled and readied himself

"THERE IS NO TIME FOR IDLE TALK NARUTO-KUN" Gai charged

Naruto backpedalled away fearing for his life, and sure enough a large crater appeared on the spot he had been in mere milliseconds ago.

'Crap, I can hardly follow his movements' Naruto mentally cursed as he saw a Fourth Gate Release Lee engage Gai.

Naruto jumped up and took calming breaths "Alright, time to up the ante...Tercera! (roughly translates to third)" as he said that, his skin turned into the distinctive bright pink as blood and energy rocketed all throughout his body; copious amounts of steam billowed out of him.

Without warning, he darted forward silently, unsensed. It was not until it was too late that Gai noticed his student upon him, right arm cocked to deliver a demolishing straight. Lee was still bringing the pressure and he had no chance of breaking away.

Gai was pressed, he had no choice but to...

A massive shockwave rocked the clearing as Gai unleashed his trademark move, the Shishi no hoe; Lion's Roar. Originally a move used to disorient the enemy using a loud screech, Gai took it to the next level by adding more wind and more pressure thus making it into a devastating attack that had the secondary function of disorienting an enemy.

Naruto managed to cover his ears and harden his body just in time before the damaging wave of sound completely overtook him. He tumbled for a few meters and got to his feet as soon as he stabilized himself.

'That is one scary attack' Naruto thought as he felt multiple gashes on him from the wind pressure alone. They were pretty deep but his enhanced healing is slowly taking care of them, it stung hard though; like acid on your skin.

He searched for Lee and saw mini-Gai passed out near a tree. 'Looks like the attack got to him. Where are you Gai-sensei'

Naruto looked around, wary of where the teacher would spring out of next. When his eyes failed him, he stuck out his tongue and flicked it about in a manner much like that of a snake. This movement serves to collect subtle chemicals in the air to be processed by a sensory organ in the roof of the mouth. The enhanced gustatory (taste) sense is thanks to the Shoomba blood that was assimilated into his system. Now he can use this enhanced sense to pinpoint the exact location of a person through chemicals present in the air.

'Shit! Behind me!' Naruto turned and paled in shock as he saw his teacher descending upon him with another Shishi no hoe.

Naruto quickly covered his ears before they were overloaded from the direct attack. 'Too late!'

He began to black out from the sheer sonic damage his body and inner ear sustained; the last thing he heard was "YOSH! SOAR HIGHER INTO PERFECTION MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS!" from his teacher before he floated on to oblivion.

* * *

><p>Timeskip<p>

Naruto Age: 12 ½

* * *

><p>During the next few years, Naruto and Lee continued to push, further and further into Taijutsu excellence. It has been quite a pleasant surprise to Gai that his students have progressed so fast in such a short time. The two truly are prodigies in the noble art of Taijutsu, a.k.a. beating the shit out of anybody who got in their way. Gifted combatants such as these only come once in a lifetime and Gai felt proud that he had been able to teach these two impressionable youths.<p>

Now if they went all out, each of them can match about 70% of Gai's released power plus a Release of the Celestial Gate until the Fourth. And as they grow and train more, the seasoned warrior predicts that it will not be long before his students surpass him.

The Hokage took notice of Naruto's Taijutsu prowess and promptly promoted the boy and his friend to the Knight Division of ANBU. A special division of Taijutsu specialists headed by Gai himself, most members practice purely Taijutsu or specialize in Nin-Taijutsu. At first, the members from other divisions and even some from their own thought they just got in because of a special favor from the Hokage since Naruto was close to the old leader. Both boys proved them wrong by completely decimating any opposition they had in missions and even in friendly spars.

They even amazed the hardcore Taijutsu practitioners with their knowledge of Pseudo-Ninjutsu; techniques that rely on naturally occurring phenomenon like pyro-electricity and friction to execute Ninjutsu-like effects. Naruto, with his signature Hibageki and Lee with his Netsu-ken. Though they could not chain these moves one after another like the masters, their early understanding and use of it garnered them praise from the older generation.

Naruto and Lee have grown quite a bit over the years. Through their extreme training regimen they have gained immense strength but have not gained the bulk of muscle, this gives an element of surprise to those fool enough to underestimate their skill and strength. Now members of ANBU, they wore the standard uniform of grey chest and forearm armor with special pouches over a black high collared muscle shirt baring their arms and black cargo pants that were bandaged at just above the abkles. While Lee opted to wear the traditional ninja sandals, Naruto chose to wear steel toed black combat boots.

* * *

><p>Fire Country Border<p>

* * *

><p>Naruto and Lee sat cross legged in front of each other, between them, a merry fire crackling every now and then. All around them were uprooted trees, jagged craters and large chunks of rock that seemed to be blasted out of a larger rock formation. It seems that they had just finished with their spartraining; the surrounding area looking like it had been ravaged by an army of Doton users.

Lee was seasoning and slow roasting a skewered squirrel while Naruto happily nibbled on his roasted fish.

"Are you sure it's safe to eat that? I'm not gonna stand guard for you if you get diarrhea like last time" Naruto said as he bit off a chunk of fish

"Not to worry Naruto-kun, I am now well versed in the culinary arts" Lee replied as he checked the tenderness of the meat. Naruto was about to open his mouth but Lee got to speak first.

"What is the third rule in hostile environment survival?" Lee inquired

"Ya had to bust my balls with that-" Naruto retorted

"The answer Naruto-kun?" Lee said quite sternly

Naruto sighed "Keep your energy up, safely prepare what you can find or scavenge" the textbook answer came

"Exactly, I was just preparing myself and my stomach for the worst" Lee said as he took a leg out of the squirrel and tasted "Mmmm...Not bad, could use a little more salt" Lee added as he took out his special spice bag.

"Well this was what I could find so I just went with it" Naruto said as he motioned to the other piece of fish roasting near the fire.

"But Naruto-kun, fish is not that common, you have to find something that is in ready supply anywhere and work with it" Lee said.

"...And there is a ready supply of squirrel everywhere?" Naruto asked pointedly.

"Touché" Lee said with a smile.

"Haha. Anyway, insects and rats are your best bet...though I'm not that eager to try them" Naruto said as he started picking his teeth with a fishbone he took out of the finished meal.

"Indeed, rat tastes quite nice if cleaned properly and insects are packed with nutrients, though they are not that filling" Lee smiled as he pinched out chunks of squirrel meat

"Yeah, you could sauté that sucker with garlic and onions, add a bit of soy sauce, cracked peppercorn and you're golden (2)" Naruto recalled from their "Nani ka o niru (Cook Anything)" class

"Insects are quite troublesome, those extra appendages are very hard to take out and the little things are so easy to burn" Lee added in his ten cents as he continued to eat the well done squirrel

The two boys laughed at the weirdness of the situation. There they were on a support mission and all they're talking about is food. Shouldn't they be talking about strategies and tactics right about now?

"At any rate we'd make it to Wave early if we move fast" Naruto said as he used a special seal array to keep his cooked fish, you never know when you'll need the extra nourishment.

Since Lee cannot utilize his chakra and Naruto is the freaky one that has no chakra; Gai requested the seal masters at ANBU HQ to formulate utility seals (i.e. storage, weight, restraining, etc.) for them that could be activated using specific finger strokes. These seals have chakra stored in them so that they perform their function without any exertion from the user and only need to be recharged once every year.

Naruto drained his water canteen and refilled it in a stream near their campsite.

"I'll go hit the sack, you okay on cleanup Lee?" Naruto asked this comrade as he jumped onto a tree and sat back on a comfortable spot in a thick branch

"Alright, Have a good night Naruto-kun" Lee said as he finished the rest of his meal

The green clad boy stood up and exhaled slowly, in mere seconds all traces of the campsite vanished. All that was left is an innocuous patch on the ground where Lee buried the waste materials.

* * *

><p>Later the next day...<p>

* * *

><p>"Naruto-kun, our destination is fast approaching. I sense a powerful energy signature and it seems to have engaged Team 7 a little while ago if the flashes of chakra are anything to go by. A-Class at the very least. Also, another presence that has yet to make itself known...A-Class too" Lee told Naruto as they rushed towards Team Seven's location (3)<p>

Lee tensed "Let us go with haste Naruto-kun, the enemy presence just focused it's chakra and if I would take a guess, a big jutsu is next" Lee told his friend

They were now nearly there and could see a pink haired girl in red sleeveless battle dress and a raven haired boy in blue short sleeved shirt and white short combo. They were currently surrounding an old man and looking around warily, their Jounin-sensei nowhere in sight. Strangely, a heavy mist permeated the area; Naruto felt that this is no ordinary mist and doubled his pace.

'Almost there...' Naruto thought as he drew nearer, he knew this was the most opportune time for the enemy to strike. Lee got there in a flash and just in the nick of time to intercept an overhead slash from a gigantic Zanbato aimed at a certain pink haired girl. The youthful boy redirected the attack and let loose a thrust kick at the offending shinobi...only for it to revert back into water.

'Hmmm...Momochi Zabuza. One of the famed Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, we better receive extra for this' Naruto thought to himself as he recognized the clone and remembered the missing nin's entry in the bingo book

"Where is Kakashi-san?" Lee said gently as he faced the trembling genins

A loud squeal could be heard as Sakura glomped the masked Lee. "Fujin-samaaaa! It's been such a long time...I've missed you soooo much" Sakura said as she rubbed he cheeks onto Lee's wind demon mask

As soon as Sakura latched onto him Lee was gone; body unresponsive from too much ecstasy.

"Awww...How come you don't hug me too Sakura-chan, don't you miss me?" Naruto mock pouted behind his mask as he put his hands together

Sakura's eyes narrowed at the fool who would dare interrupt her quality time with Fujin-sama "Go die in a hole Raijin-baka" she said shrilly whilst trying to glare a hole through the boy

Naruto sweatdropped at the treatment and turned to the raven haired boy "Hey, pretty boy. Care to enlighten me about what happened?" he asked off handedly

A look of irritation flashed in the face of one Uchiha Sasuke but the boy contained it "You do not have the right to talk to me that way commoner ANBU" the Uchiha boy spat

Naruto breathed in deeply and exhaled calmly. All he wanted was some information...was that too much? 'Oh and Sakura-chan too, I want her. Damn Lee hogging all the action' Naruto thought as he looked over to the two love birds.

The client broke the silence "T..the Demon...Demon of the Mist he's...he's here...the silver haired perv...he...he took him on...Oh Kami we're all gonna die!" the old man yelped as he pointed over Naruto's shoulder

Two more water clones from Zabuza revealed themselves, they were about to charge but Naruto suddenly materialized between them and casually delivered a double lariat which made them revert back to their natural state.

"Later Fuu-man" Naruto said as he did a mock salute

'Hmph. He is quite fast for some commoner ANBU' Sasuke thought 'But once I activate my Sharingan, not even the fastest Shinobi can slip through my grasp' he thought coolly as he scoffed

The blonde haired boy continued onwards into the mist, heightened senses out on full alert.

'Let's see what we got here' Naruto thought as he carefully and silently traversed the thick mist

He meandered a bit until he found the center where Zabuza was holding Copy Ninja Kakashi in a sphere of chakra draining water.

The only weakness of Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu; the user must keep at least one arm inside the sphere at all times in order for the victim to remain imprisoned. 'Checkmate Zabuza' Naruto said as he neared the missing nin

Suddenly Naruto was thrown back when something from the water exploded out. 'Another clone!' Naruto thought, slightly disappointed at himself for not sensing that threat

"Did you really think you can sneak up on a master of the Silent Killing Method? You're light years away from my level rookie" the real Zabuza taunted as he unsheathed his zanbato

"I wasn't really trying" Naruto deadpanned 'So Kakashi-san was captured by a clone? Tsk. Tsk...Getting rusty scarecrow-man'

When Zabuza noticed the thunder demon mask with the Konoha symbol engraved on the forehead, he perked up "Ah! Raijin of the famed Storm Brothers, it is truly an honor" Zabuza spoke as he mock bowed

By this time, Lee miraculously pried Sakura off and arrived to provide support. "OUR YOUTH SHALL PREVAIL!" Lee said out as he pumped his fist, fires of determination burning behind the eyeslits of his mask

"And Fujin too! This just keeps getting better and better" Zabuza clapped "Let me even the odds. Chisa! Get on up here! Time for some fun!" the man called out through cupped hands

Suddenly, a petite woman about two years older than Naruto shunshined beside Zabuza. She had mid length black that was tied back in a one-sided ponytail, porcelain skin, cute nose and mesmerizing hazel eyes. She was garbed in a navy blue long sleeved shirt with the right sleeve removed; it stopped just above her well toned stomach which was covered with a length of fishnet style cloth. She wore black cycling shorts that stopped just above the knee for ease of movement and it was topped with a short loincloth made from grey wolf fur on the right hip.

"Helllloooo pretty" Naruto thought out loud as hearts appeared over his eyes "Fujin! I call dibs! Thou shall respect the law of dibs!" the lovestruck youth called out as he repeatedly pointed at his friend, adding emphasis on the dibs.

"Confident aren't we?" Zabuza leered as he sent a water clone at Naruto, which the boy simply batted aside. "Tsk. Tsk. Didn't your parents ever teach you any manners?" Naruto reprimanded as he wagged his finger back and forth

"Who do you think taught me in the first place? You little shit" Zabuza spat as he tried to throw a kunai at Naruto (Read: Tried). Before Zabuza could throw the deadly projectile, Lee caught him hand and turned it, trying to stab him with his own kunai.

Zabuza slashed high with his zanbato which caused Lee to jump away

"Hmph! I'll take you and then the arrogant little bastard if Chisa doesn't shave him to ribbons" Zabuza said as he prepared to charge

"THE SANCTITY OF THE DIBS MUST BE PROTECTED! HAVE AT YOU!" Lee said energetically as he took on the Goken stance

* * *

><p>With Naruto<p>

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, I know it's rude to stare but I just can't help myself" Naruto said shyly.<p>

'I can't put my finger on it but she looks kinda familiar' Naruto thought as he continually snapped his fingers, trying to jog his memory.

The woman just stood there, unresponsive. She looked at Naruto like he was some sort of disgusting insect.

"Well they're getting busy over there. Why don't we get busy here as well" Naruto said as he chuckled at the unintended pun "I'm Raijin by the way" the boy bowed gentlemanly

Still no response...

Naruto stretched and yawned for a few moments and that was when he felt the tip of an ornate tri-bladed katar poised on his throat "Knew you were hiding something in that sleeve" the mischievous boy smiled

"Hiyori Chisa, nice to meet you" the young woman whispered emotionlessly in Naruto's ear

Just as she was about to plunge the implement into Naruto's throat, the boy slipped out with practiced ease. "Chisa-chaaaan, would you like to go on a date with me?" Naruto said sweetly as he blew the girl a kiss

This served to tick off Chisa and she went through a set of handseals "No" the girl answered flatly and then followed the rejection with a jutsu

"Hyouton: Toukiri no Jutsu" the female warrior brought her head back and fired off a cone of fine mist imbued with the unforgiving cold of the ice element. An area 10 meters in front of her froze over in a thick sheet of ice; her intended target however was nowhere in sight.

"Good one" Naruto said as he reappeared. The boy cocked his fist and quickly punched the air in front of him ten times in the span of less than a second. "Oshidama!"

Chisa tensed for she saw at least ten distortions in the air fast approaching. Thinking fast, she went through a series of handseals and then stomped her foot. "Hyouton: Onikabe no Jutsu"

Water condensed all around Chisa and out erupted a rather jagged looking ice wall; it looked like it was made up of large ice spikes interlocking together to create an impenetrable defense. The great ice shield stretched for 10 meters in front of her, it shuddered a bit from the assault of Naruto's pressure bullets but the attack ultimately did nothing to mar the solid barrier.

Naruto landed in front of the ice wall and whistled. 'That was one nice defense and fast to boot' Naruto thought

After a few moments of tense waiting...

"Huh?" Naruto adopted a confused expression as he looked closely at the ice wall 'What is she doing back there?'

"Well...if you're not making a move, then I guess it's my turn. Hibageki!" Naruto said as he lunged with an electric straight; moving so fast he looked like a horizontal bolt of lightning. Spark covered hand rocking the barricade and making tiny cracks spiderweb from the point of impact

"Surge!" A single voice came out of the other side of the wall as Naruto pulled his fist out of the undamaged wall. The wall shuddered and suddenly shot forward at breakneck speed, attempting to crush the stunned Naruto

"Spike!" the woman's voice rang out again, this made things worse as the wall suddenly sprouted dangerous looking spikes.

Naruto just kept evading the spiked ice wall but it kept on following him, he had to do something or he'd tire out and be impaled on this demonic ice wall. He jumped to the side only to meet face to face with a barrage of fireballs which forced him back on the path of the spiky death-trap.

"Shoot!" Chisa's voice boomed as she simultaneously shot out all the spikes peppering the ice barrier in a shotgun style attack

"Ohshitohshitohshit" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped over just in time to evade the explosion of ice shards from the wall. Problem is...he met with a wrecking ball shaped ice construct mid leap.

"...Ah Crap" The boy braced himself as he charged the ice ball full forward with a shoulder tackle, hoping to clear it.

'Ack! That HURT!' Naruto mentally screamed as he was swatted away by the wrecking ball, like some kind of fly. He sailed briefly in the air and stopped dead as he smashed onto a boulder, leaving an imprint on the hard rock. His attack did nothing but put in a few cracks on the surprisingly solid ice construct.

"Yeerrrr lucky datch yore a girl" Naruto groggily said as he stood up on spaghetti legs "I been holdin' back for ya" the boy claimed as he staggered back

"But no more mishter nice guysh for me" Naruto slurred as his shoulders lurched forward much like a totally hammered drunk

"Ya hear dat?" Naruto said as he pointed a finger at his adversary...a tree?

"I'm right here jackass" Chisa called out impatiently as she dispelled the ice wall

Naruto shook the stupor out of his eyes and quickly turned around and slowly adjusted his finger to point at Chisa. Suddenly, the boy doubled over in pain.

"Ooooooh...Leg Cramp" Naruto said as he massaged his right leg.

Naruto still didn't know who he was fighting with. He had a vague idea of who this Chisa really is but he can't just grasp it. Much like a word that is at the tip of your tongue but you just can't say it...yeah, that's how annoying it felt.

"Ugh! Hopless! I hate guys like you the most" Chisa exclaimed, exasperated

What his opponent didn't know was that he was just discreetly adjusting the weight and power suppression seal imprinted on his ankle

'Hmmm...Let's see, I think 75% capacity would do' Naruto thought as he carefully undid the seal

"Here. I. Go!" Naruto said as he surged out, Chisa taken aback by the sudden increase in speed

"Where are you..." Chisa whispered warily as she looked around

The young woman slashed right when she felt something brush past her but there was nothing there, the same thing happened when she felt something lightly push her from the back. Then...the hairs on her back rose on end when she briefly felt a hand lightly pinch her left asscheek.

"ASSHOLE!" she screamed out in pure, unadulterated fury "Hyouton: Togemai no Jutsu!" a thin ice sheet covered Chisa and proceeded to shoot a continuous hail of ice spines in an omnidirectional attack. The assault lasted for at least a minute; Chisa using up almost a half of her reserves and expelling a staggering amount of the piercing spines in the process.

The attack cleared and the Konoha shinobi moved in to start his assault.

"Right here!" Naruto called as he unleashed lightning fast finger strikes targeted at the body's pressure points. Chisa defended from the attack well and countered with a fast roundhouse which Naruto blocked and trapped. Chisa thinking fast made a half dog seal and unleashed a flurry of water bullets care of Suiton: Mizutama no Jutsu. This caused Naruto to let go and jump back.

"Hmm...So that's why I got slower, a subtle freezing field around yourself. Smart girl" Naruto commended as he opened with an elbow which Chisa sidestepped and countered with an uppercut katar stab.

"Gotcha!" Naruto cried in victory as he struck the sensitive cluster of nerves just below the left armpit, overloading it.

"You might as well give up Chisa-chan" Naruto teased as he appeared behind the young woman, arms folded

"Show bravado while you still can, Konoha pig" Chisa said coldly

"Mmmm...Strawberry" Naruto cooed as he took a whiff of the alluring girl's hair

"Get away from me you freak!" Chisa screamed as she tried to strike Naruto with an overly wild backhand

The blonde haired ANBU casually caught Chisa's right hand and struck another pressure point that disabled it. "Chillax why dontcha? A battle is a test of your cool and the calm ones always snatch the win" Naruto lectured as he gave a thumbs up(4)

Chisa smiled "Look around you, o great warrior of Konoha...and you'll see who has the real upperhand" she taunted

The threat was substantiated when Naruto looked to his side and saw thousands upon thousands of ice spines floating. On average about 12 inches in length, these spines have enough penetrating power to pierce even ANBU-class armor (5). It seems that the Hyouton: Togemai no Jutsu executed earlier was just a setup for a more devastating technique.

"That's right...take it all in you weirdo" Chisa said smugly

The ice maiden broke from the flabbergasted youth and an icy storm tore through Naruto. "Hyouton: Hitoge Jigoku" Chisa whispered

"Oh...This ain't gonna be good" Naruto deadpanned, the innumerable ice needles descending upon him like heavy rain. As the devastating technique finished, Naruto found himself buried under a large pile of icy, spiky death. His whole body hurt and he could hardly breathe, all around he was having a not so nice day.

Chisa smirked outside "I claim the win Raijin-teme"

Not even a proper corpse would come from an attack that devastating. Since it's inception, no one has ever survived from the Spine Hell and it seems that this Raijin is no exception. Though she must commend the agile warrior, she had to continually channel chakra into her movements just to keep up and stay one step ahead of the lecherous perv. That fight also left her with about 10% of her total chakra; clearly that was more than just a workout.

The young woman tensed when the saw the small hill of ice shudder and the front part explode out. 'No way...' she thought in disbelief

From the small amount of mist kicked up by the exploded ice needles stood Naruto, his clothes in tatters. With most of his outer skin and armor gone; the only thing that protected him from the vicious assault was his "underguard" as he liked to call it. The durable plates of interlocking chitin did their job well but even they weren't left unscathed from the attack; various cracks spiderwebbed all around it and some spikes even managed to get through. The good news is that the underguard along with Naruto's dermis is slowly being repaired. The bad news...it stung like hell. Like poisonous wasp stings all. over. your. body.

* * *

><p>With Lee<p>

* * *

><p>The emerald warrior has released most of his weight and power suppression seals as his fight with the nukenin unfolded. Zabuza is turning out to be one tough customer, masterfully waving around that huge zanbato like it was the lightest thing on earth; Lee had been close to losing his head on several occasions. Though the mist did not hamper his fighting ability much, fighting on top of water did. He had special chakra charged seals embedded in his sandals allow him to cling to any surface and walk on water. It works like a charm but the design had a little flaw in it so he wobbled a bit with every movement. It wasn't enough to throw Lee off his game but it was annoying to constantly correct his balance everytime he charged. The Demon of the Mist noticed this and has since bombarded Lee with frighteningly quick slashes, knowing that one little slip up was all it took for him to grab the win.<p>

"I commend your fighting spirit Zabuza-san!" The ever youthful Lee breathed out as he broke away

"You're pretty good too. Now let's see which demon is stronger. The Demon of the Mist or The Wind Demon" Zabuza said as he charged Lee

...And so the deadly game of cat and mouse continued, Zabuza engaged Lee and quickly dished out blurring slashes left and right. Lee evaded these with little difficulty and countered with nerve strikes meant to disable the older combatant. The strikes hit perfectly but had little effect, Zabuza seemed to be immune to these kinds of paralyzing attacks; possibly stemming from years of ANBU training and conditioning or the warrior is just inherently durable.

"Let's end this" Zabuza said gruffly as he went through a long set of handseals "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu" Zabuza's voice rang out as he pumped extra chakra to the jutsu, empowering it

Suddenly, the water stirred and came to life, forming a rather large pillar behind Zabuza. After a few moments, the pillar shuddered forward and took on the shape of an enraged water dragon moving at breakneck speeds at it's intended target: Lee.

Lee was practically wide eyed from the sheer power he felt from the jutsu; the boy couldn't jump away because of the technique's large area of effect.

He felt a shitload of energy from it, one clean hit from that and his body would be completely obliterated; torn to pieces by the turbulent churning water that made up the water dragon. The Konoha warrior braced himself and took a large breath of air. He hoped that he had enough skill in this move as the one who taught it to him. 'Gai-sensei...Please guide me' Lee thought reverently

As the barreling water dragon neared him, Lee liberated the confined air in one concentrated blast reminiscent of a roar from a prideful animal in his own version of Gai's Shishi no hoe. The wall of sound and pressure tore through the water dragon and hit it like a grinder causing the water dragon to disperse in a fine mist of water and chakra. He breathed out in relief; he had successfully executed his teacher's trademark move and won against a water dragon from Zabuza himself!

What Lee did not notice was the large zanbatou hidden by the mist from the dissolved water dragon making a beeline for him as he bathed in the euphoria of the moment.

As the blade neared him, Lee expertly moved to the side; the overlarge blade missing him by mere centimetres. The sword continued on it's way though, the new target: the currently weakened Chisa. Naruto saw this and tensed. 'Dammit! Segunda!' Naruto mentally screamed as he forced his protesting body to move.

'Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap' Raijin mentally raged as he raced towards the deadly projectile

A sickening sound of metal penetrating flesh was heard all throughout the lake. Naruto moved in to intercept the heavy blade...with his own body. He felt the sword go through his spine and out his stomach; messing up his intestines in the process. The skewered boy hacked up blood as he looked at Chisa, problem was...she was no longer there.

"Down here" Chisa called out, a bit confused at what the enemy ninja did

Naruto looked down and there she was, sometime before he intercepted the sword, she cut the chakra technique letting her walk on water and she sank, far from the deadly sword's reach.

"I never asked for your help and as you can see, with me down here; that big sword cannot even reach me, let alone harm me in any way" Chisa drawled as she kept herself afloat

Naruto's eyes blinked slowly as he looked at the drenched Chisa, his mind coming to a conclusion "Satsujou...*cough* ...Satsujou Keiri" Naruto gurgled out as he finally figured out the woman's real identity

The newly revealed Keiri's eyes narrowed as she quickly got out of the water and stood up "How do you know this information?" she said dangerously, katar pressed on Naruto's throat

"A list of high...*cough*...value kill targets...I looked at your entry almost everyday" he said as he weakly chuckled, his knees shaking. "...Looks like someone out there wants the legitimate successor to the Satsujou Group dead...*hack*... a large sum of money is being offered for your head" the weakened Naruto said as he felt the katar on his throat increase it's pressure

"...And you thought you would come to collect? Pig?" Keiri spat in cold fury

"Heh. Please, I'm not that low. *cough* I don't like seeing girls hurt" Naruto said weakly as he felt his lifeblood escape him, that big sword lodged in him is preventing his regeneration from doing it's thing

"Liar! Why did you choose to fight me then?" Keiri said in fury as she prepared to slit Naruto's throat right then and there

"I was just trying to tease you..." Naruto he said with a soft smile as he closed his eyes

Zabuza's loud scream interrupted Keiri before she could respond

"Chisa! Let's go! The Copy-nin escaped my jutsu. We're outnumbered here, we'll kill the geriatric bridge builder another day" Naruto heard Zabuza say as he felt the blade he was skewered to pulled off rather roughly. He then felt the sensation of being hoisted up, carried like a sack of potatoes, the boy wonders what will await him once he wakes. He felt the jagged wound slowly heal...painfully; it will take a while before he could make a full recovery from all the injuries he sustained.

The boy thought that they'll most likely torture him for information, then kill him...or use him as a hostage in case things don't go their way. Before he totally blacked out, he heard Lee's panicked scream.

"NARUTO-KUN! I SHALL HE-..." Lee staggered as the words died in his throat as three senbon embedded themselves in his neck, compliments of Chisa/Keiri

He felt a strong rush of wind as his captor jumped off, taking him Kami knows where.

* * *

><p>Hideout<p>

* * *

><p>"I am the void that brings about the ultimate end and the genesis of creation"<p>

"I am fear that knows no measure"

"I am the monster born of the ego"

"I am the serenity of chaos"

"Tame me"

"OWN ME!"

Naruto stirred as he awoke from the faint voices calling out to him. It had been a recurring dream of his for quite a while now; the voices steadily growing in volume as time went on. An empyreal nothingness that speaks to him; beckoning him to seek and dominate it. Leading him to a destiny he cannot even begin to comprehend.

Naruto mentally shrugged and ignored the voices just as he learned to do everytime those strange cries came to him. He looked all around him and sniffed the air.

It was dark and musty, from the stagnant smell hanging in the air he is most likely locked up in some kind of storeroom. The ground was hard and cold, but what did he expect? A Bed? Five-star accommodations? He is a prisoner and the reality sank onto him like a rusty dagger. They will wring all the information they can from him in the most painful way possible and there was nothing he could do about it. Outnumbered and outclassed, Naruto is in a bad place and he knew it would only get worse from here on out. Naruto knew that being a shinobi, shit happens and he was in the deepest shit pit that he had ever been in his life.

The boy tried to stretch his shoulders...only to find that he couldn't. Ha was strapped down by about six reinforced restraints, topped off by an interlocking mesh of ninja wire. The boy couldn't help but think that this is all a bit too much. All of his gear was stripped from him, looks like right now, he could do nothing but follow what his captors told him.

'How long was I out? A week? A month?' Naruto wondered

As his eyes adjusted to the low light level, he looked to the left to find a half filled glass of water and a kunai stabbed onto the ground.

* * *

><p>And there you have it ladies and gentlemen<p>

And oh yeah!  
>Have any of you ever heard of this awesome site called 9gag?<p>

If you haven't...then go there. NOW. Don't walk. Don't run. Just type. Type like the motherfucking wind.

If you have...then Me Gusta :D

And another question. Would you like the techniques to just be in english or do you like the romanji translation just cause it sounds cool or some shit?

(1) In this fic, Oro-chan is trying to create an empty shell with all the traits he wants (i.e. Sharingan, Shikotsumyaku from Kimimaro, etc.) then Fushi Tensei into that body. Efficient and no nonsense. Right now though, he is just jumping bodies like in canon.

(2) Secret Family Recipe... :D I'm not talking about city rats, those are filthy. Field rats on the other hand, eat mostly grains and fruit; completely sanitary and healthy.

(3) During his time in ANBU, Lee has honed his natural chakra sensing capabilities and has been said to possess skill enough to pass as an ANBU class sensor shinobi.

(4) It has been said that Naruto's most frightening skill lies not with his Taijutsu prowess but in enraging and confusing the enemy, making them commit textbook mistakes that he usually exploits.

(5) Composed of layers of lightweight alloys and synthetic materials to offer the maximum protection to weight ratio

Techniques:

Tercera – Third Gear

Hibageki – Spark Strike

Netsu-ken – Heat Fist

Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu – Water Release: Water Prison Technique

Hyouton: Toukiri no Jutsu – Ice Release: Freezing Mist Technique

Oshidama – Pressure Bullet

Hyouton: Onikabe no Jutsu – Ice Release: Demon's Wall Technique

Hyouton: Kasuimai no Jutsu – Ice Release: Spine Sheet Technique

Suiton: Mizutama no Jutsu– Water Release: Water Bullet Technique

Hyouton: Hitoge Jigoku - Ice Release: Ice Spine Hell (Basically a beefed up version of Haku's technique)

Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu - Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique

Segunda – Second Gear


	4. Future Forward

Chapter 4 - Future Forward

Sorry for not updating in a while got caught up in an original project. Yay Mage College! :D

'_Thought_'

"Human Dialogue"

"**Demon Dialogue**"

"_**Unknown**_"

"_Celestial Dialogue_"

"Technique"

Disclaimer: Oh! Oh! Oh! I own nothing. You know the drill. :(

On to the Story!

* * *

><p>The savage siege was fast coming to an end. Waged for what has felt like months, it has left indelible scars all across the realms and even the other realities are starting to crumble.<p>

A violent clash raged between Naruto's forces; beings born of the Void and the Shadowsun Citadel's combined forces.

So far, all has been well for Naruto's army. His Dragonflight has utterly crushed the Dominion Corps – the generals of the treacherous army; composed of high ranking hellions and celestials. As his forces neared the nexus of the great stronghold, these elite soldiers swooped in and countered with deadly force. Though their power was nothing to laugh at, Naruto's own corp of elite warriors battered them without relent.

The high ranking warriors were all defeated in one lightning quick assault. A brutal and precise slaughter, Naruto expertly ordered a small company of heavy hitters to plow head-on through their forces...to gain their attention. Then, as the celestials and hellions engaged the small force, two ambush parties sprung out and stabbed onto their flanks, sewing chaos among the enemy ranks. The Dragonflights then massacred with no remorse and absolutely no pity. The strong energies the Dominion commanded was no match for the utterly powerful elemental manipulation of the Dragonflight. Under the Dragonflight's control, the elements danced and moved with grace and elegance. Beautiful magic lit up the battlefield as the Dragonflights launched their elemental manipulations. So masterful were the Dragonflights that they made a bloody battle look like beautiful stageplay. White-hot fire serpents slithered and breathed searing flames around the battlefield, turbulent water sharks brutally tore up the opposition, lightning falcons pierced through defenses and a whole symphony of ever changing elemental spells lit up the warzone like a beautiful pyrotechnic display. The Dominions, not wanting to get outmaneuvered, opted for a tactical retreat to recover. Encamped inside a nigh impenetrable light shield, they healed and waited for the perfect time to strike. The Dragonflights surrounded the desperate defense and began their assault. Numerous elemental spells crashed against the steady shield, but it held its place. At the last second, before the Dragonflights began another round of their magic barrage, the celestials put down the shield and the hellions went on an offensive counter.

The battlefield was suddenly plunged into shadowy darkness as the hellions sprung out and fired off their attacks. Balls of compressed dark energy flew everywhere, projectiles of volatile poison zipped across the surroundings and demonic energies tore open the warzone. Fierce explosions rocked the battlefield as two powerful energies raged against each other. The elite celestials momentarily turned the tide of battle when they ambushed with their superior melee skills but the Dragonflights proved too tough when they released their Primal Forms. Before the final blow was struck, the remaining Dominions mounted a desperate attack. So focused were they on at least reducing the numbers of the Dragonflight that they began using suicide tactics. They gathered together and combined light and darkness. The volatile combination of two opposing energies imploded upon itself before erupting into realm shattering explosion which took out almost half of the attacking Dragonflight forces.

Though the casualties incurred were large, the operation ended in victory for Naruto's forces. The commanding officers of the Shadowsun Citadel's army were taken out. This left the rest of the forces directionless and scattered. The disarray allowed the Formless to score a decisive hit with the remaining forces; further crippling the abominable army. With their enemies' weakened and decimated, the rest of Naruto's forces spilled forth into the Shadowsun Citadel's Nexus - the place where the Allfather and the Chaosbringer were holed up to finish the remaining stragglers. As chaos reigned in the inner sanctum, Naruto went on ahead to deliver the coup de grace himself.

* * *

><p>And there it was...the Citadel's Nexus. Standing high like a great beacon of power, this structure has been the base of operations of the two Avatars since their defection. Previously, it was just a monolithic crystalline pillar radiating a pure light; a structure meant to propagate the Allfather's power all throughout the mortal realm, this was meant to counteract the Void's "corrupting" grasp on the weak mortals. This did more harm than help though as the Allfather's power slowly eroded the Void's fabric; making miniscule rips and causing subtle disturbances. In its current state, the Void is what holds the realms together, what connects all the realities and what facilitates the cycle; it has been that way since that fateful battle eternities ago.<p>

But with the usurpation of the throne just a few years past, the new Allfather changed everything, gone were the lush forests and calming greenery; the smooth crystalline structures became jagged and sword-like. Instead of a dazzling crystal pillar, a warrior's citadel was made; turrets, battlements and other warlike implements dotted its entirety. Most notable of all its defenses were the great outer walls that protected it. rumor has it that no one has ever entered the labyrinthine outer walls of the Citadel and got out.

Naruto stalked toward the gates. He was clad in a form fitting black hooded coat. It was adorned with flowing white runes resembling tribal tattoos which glowed rhythmically every now and then. The hood was up, fully obscuring his face.

"Anyone home?!" the young man said as his boot met the front doors of the outer defensive wall

The powerful kick sent the massive doors off their hinges. The pieces slammed onto a nearby wall, leaving a rather large dent. The Voidwalker strutted in and lo and behold what was waiting for our intrepid adventurer; a lone Celestial wrapped in quite an intimidating battle aura. The impressive energy raged around like a calm beast; gentle to those that would mean no harm but could quickly turn into a rabid abomination if provoked.

Naruto whistled as he took in the entirety of the area, he was just in the outer wall and yet it looked incredibly massive and entrancingly beautiful. Tall bunches of crystals jutted out of the ground forming different formations; like coarse, jagged statues. Small floating crystals dotted the landscape, reflecting light in an entrancing manner. Crystal arced galleries lined with glowing, runed weapons and busts surrounded the garden-like area. Likely guarded by mammoth soldiers, these galleries served as entrances to the inner sanctum.

'Not bad' Naruto said to himself as he raised an eyebrow.

Moments later, he dodged a barrage of thrown blades from the unknown celestial.

Said Celestial was garbed in a deep blue, lightly spiked battle armor with gold accents. Upon closer inspection, the armor surface had ornate carvings of flowing rivers and a multitude of stars – probably an array of defensive runes. A long and sturdy handle was strapped onto his back which was hidden by a pure white cloak with gold trim.

"Kygori. The Engulfing Fruit. Out of my way please, this does not concern you." Naruto said monotonously as he unleashed his energy in a show of threat. It was heavy and formless, as expected from the Void he controls with unshakeable resolve.

The celestial released another barrage of blades toward Naruto and this time the young fighter was not able to evade the projectiles. Unable to react to the lightspeed projectiles, Naruto sank to his knees as copious amounts of blood blossomed out of his chest like a grisly flower. He collapsed onto the ground softly twitching, his lifeblood quickly escaping him.

Kygori looked at the slowly draining form of Naruto with disbelief in his eyes. 'A ruse?' he narrowed his eyes as he searched for other energy signatures but found none. Is it really over?

"If you want to die that badly...then I shall oblige" came a husky whisper

'Illusion!' Kygori realized as Naruto jabbed a blade right down his throat. Imagine Naruto's surprise when the Kygori he stabbed exploded out in searing blue flames.

"Let's finish this quickly" Naruto said as he stepped out of the azure flames, impressed but ultimately unharmed. He created a dual katana combo from the Void and swiftly went into the offensive.

Kygori saw this and unsheathed his own weapon – a large sledgehammer-like bashing implement encrusted with glowing runed crystals.

The two warriors traded fierce blows, their movements blurred out, the only signs of a fight are the momentary sparks and loud clangs as their weapons met each other. Naruto was slowly picking apart the Engulfing Fruit's fighting style, trying to take advantage of any gaps in the defense with his own style. Kygori's guard however, didn't look like it would break apart anytime soon.

The celestial would nullify blows with a weak, flowing swing and then another quick swing came around for the counter. The heavy-set Celestial used the weight of his impressive weapon to quickly move around and attack in a circular fashion.

Naruto got in a thrust kick to the armored knight's midsection and jumped back, allowing himself a bit of breathing space.

"Perish is a sea of steel! Million Blades!" Naruto said hardly as he commanded the dual katana. The swords then diffused into millions of tiny blades fine as a grain of sand. They flowed around, draping him like a liquid shawl. The miniscule blades glinted a soft, silver glow in the intense light.

"Surge forward!" Naruto said as he sent the flowing stream of blades toward Kygori. The single blade stream engaged the Engulfing Fruit like a mass of angry bees. The blades quickly descended upon him like liquid death and smothered him in a blanket of razor sharp agony. The Celestial's heavy armor absorbed most of the attack though, it glowed intensely and nullified the water-like blades.

"Pierce! Hydra!" Naruto commanded as he pointed the empty handles toward his adversary. Suddenly, the single stream divided into five razor sharp, whip like partitions

With a swing, the blade tentacles surged forth with serpentine grace and engaged the armor clad celestial again.

Kygori smiled as he swung his maul, dissipating the delicate stream of blades.

"The offensive capability may be high, striking with millions of miniscule blades, shaving away chunks of flesh with every hit. But it is far too fragile; one strike from the Dreadmaul and the form is rendered useless. You cannot defeat me with a glass sword" Kygori said flatly

The blade stream however was very persistent, even as he spoke, the annoyingly nimble blades assaulted him. Everytime he would strike, the blades would swoop in, exploiting minute gaps in his defense.

"Checkmate..." Naruto whispered "Wind Bomb!" the young man said as he clapped the empty handles together.

Kygori now saw what the Voidwalker was doing; the blades were deliberately keeping him busy while discreet wind bombs moved in closer and closer, cutting off his escape route. Once they closed the gap, the invisible bombs exploded out in a storm of razor wind.

Kygori was engulfed in a tempest of air pressure and blades, the sheer force from the attack carving gigantic gashes all across the battlefield. His armor saved him yet again but at a price. Large gashes now decorated the titanic armor. Now it is nothing more than a nuisance, preventing movement and offering virtually no protection. The heavenly knight discarded his maul and shed the torn steel.

The Celestial's helmet came off and his face was revealed for all to see...except there was nothing there. Just a faint semblance of a head and squirming distortions where a face should be.

''Ah, yes. The Allfather's...''gift''. Cute'' Naruto said as he surveyed the Celestial

''Enough talk! Witness the Engulfing Fruit's true power. Tide of War!'' he said as he let his aura dance about, focusing his next move.

Intense energy whipped out as Kygori unleashed his might. A surge of energy blew Naruto's hood down, exposing his face. The features changed as the years passed, various scars marred his once smooth face, a testament to the numerous battles he has gone through. An eyepatch with a circular network of interlocking runes covered his left eye, limiting his energy output to controllable levels.

"Voidwalker...Your rampage ends here" Kygori said coldly. His battle aura steadied and with a casual wave of the hand, conjured a sea of grey skinned humanoid warriors garbed in light armor. They appeared almost instantaneously. A large wave-like surge of energy escaped Kygori and quickly formed additional warriors. Armed with swords and daggers with serrated edges, they twirled their weapons masterfully before taking attack stances. Without warning, all of them charged in a violent tide of weapons and armor.

"...Flame!" Naruto said as he nimbly avoided the slashes. Massive amounts of energy erupted from him and suddenly expanded out into a dome-shaped wave of black fire. Those who were unfortunate enough to be hit with the attack died instantaneously in a sea of obsidian flame; burnt down to the last. With a simple motion of a finger, the sea of onyx fire converged and formed a number of large, raven-like machinations that proceeded to chase down the opposition.

Naruto looked on, uninterested as the minions scattered around, the flame avians taking them out one by one. The white clad army ran about like headless chickens trying desperately to evade the flaming wings . A few soldiers got caught up in the attack, it didn't look pretty. They got sliced cleanly and then burst into dark flame.

"Blast!" Naruto whispered as he clapped his hands together. This action detonated the flying ravens of blazing death, shaving off more than a few enemies.

From the flames, a new wave of enemies emerged. They launched themselves at Naruto, intent on ripping him a new one.

"...Shock!" Naruto muttered under his breath as he shot out large bolts of lightning on the minions.

The attack blasted clean through them, leaving them little more than bloody chunks littering the floor.

"Shock Explosion!" Naruto suddenly said out

Those that were hit with the bolts of lightning swelled up as uncontrollable electricity welled up inside them. A massive electric discharge followed which forcefully threw the attackers away. Those caught in the blast were disintegrated from the intense electricity and the force of the blast.

"Hmph! So what they say about you is true" Kygori said emotionlessly as he summoned large, reptilian looking warriors clad only in simple loincloths. Uncontrollable bloodlust raged inside these berserkers as they surveyed the battlefield. They relinquished weapons in favor of brute strength and adamantine defense; their huge arms covered in needle spikes meant to increase the offensive potential of their strikes.

"Breakers...onward!" Kygori ordered the iron brutes

The grey-scaled machinations moved toward Naruto with surprising speed and engaged the young Voidwalker in a vicious attack barrage. Punches, kicks and elbows appeared out of nowhere as the lightning bruisers continued their merciless offensive.

"Hmph!...Not even close to Lee's level" Naruto said softly as he spared a moment of silence for his fallen friend

'I should have tried to understand him…' he thought sadly

The young man blocked and trapped a strong punch from a metal man and did a full spin before throwing the heavy-set machination into a large concentration of enemies. A huge explosion of dust and bodies ensued as the force from the throw obliterated the target.

He had no time to admire his handiwork as he dodged a right hook aimed at his head. A counterkick blew the enemy followed by a haymaker which crushed the heavily muscled enemy's chest. With a single hurricane kick, he sent the other interlopers away, he needed a little breathing space for his next attack.

"Terra Sunder!" Naruto said out loud as he let his energy explode out, the huge cloud of energy seeped into the ground and for a few moments, nothing happened.

Naruto floated upwards, he wanted to admire the chaos from an unimpeded bird's eye view.

Without warning, violent tremors rocked the battlefield, huge chasms cracked open and geyser-like jets of lava spewed forth with great force.

A lot of the summoned soldiers got caught up in this attack. They were either burned by the scorching magma jets or they fell to their deaths in the gigantic spike filled chasms.

"Deluge!" Naruto said with a small wave of the hand as he manipulated the pooling lava, making it move like water. The searing magma moved in like a blazing flood and smothered most of the heavy hitters in molten death. Naruto then breathed a strong gust of icy wind at the pile of superheated earth and bodies, trapping them in a shell of hardened rock.

"Serpent!" Naruto continued as he let his energy spring forth as he manipulated the blazing magma once again. This time, shaping the viscous liquid into a dragon that quickly sprang into action. The lava dragon snapped its mighty jaws at the attackers and spewed dual jets of lava from its massive maw. Before it could start with its deadly course though, the oversized snake was blown apart by dozens of light bombs that surrounded it almost instantaneously.

"Die!" Kygori muttered as he sent a barrage of light bombs toward Naruto.

"You talk too much...Onyx Cutter!" Naruto answered as he focused a spiraling ball of dark fire on his right hand. He placed his left hand over it and refined it, turning it into a Fuma Shuriken-like shape.

He threw the flame shuriken and it met with the speeding explosives. The explosion that ensued was so massive that it wiped out the rest of the rabid attackers. Kygori didn't seem to mind this as he just kept on going and going.

"Valkyrie! Soar!" came out Kygori's reply as he again summoned a different class of warrior

A group of five winged female knights stood in front of him like a protective bulwark. They were bathed in a brilliant light that does not seem to fade and exuded a fairy-like elegance. They floated forward, clad in heavy angular armor with a wing motif, their spiked helms hid most of their features from prying eyes but the frosty cerulean glow from their orbs pierced the darkness within. The Winged Knights wielded long spears with different glowing runes inscribed on the blades and a pair of wing designs protruding out near the base of the blade.

"Genesis Arts: Shadow Slave!" Naruto rebutted as he let his energy spill out in copious amounts.

Three pools of viscous tar-like liquid oozed off his shadow and surrounded Naruto in a triangle formation. As his energy infused the three pools of liquid, globs of varying shapes slowly rose up, higher and higher until they twisted into vaguely humanoid forms. As the energy stemmed its flow, the progression of their growth reached its peak and out formed imposing figures.

"What abominations have you spawned now Voidwalker?" Kygori said, apparently appalled at the display

"Shadow Striders" came the simple answer

Three dark humanoids with heavy set forms took the place of the pools of tar. Their faces were flat and featureless save for a single glowing white circle in the middle that pulsed every now and then. They had mouths festooned with serrated fangs; viscous, corrosive saliva constantly dripped out of their horrendous maws. Their arms were muscular and their hands were vicious claws that oozed with a virulent poison. They looked at their master and nodded. With bestial roars they were at the heels of the Valkyries, savagely slashing with their wicked talons.

"Strider Charge: Inferno!" Naruto said. Immediately, the white ring on their faces flashed an intense orange, the color of the all consuming element of fire. Their attacks exploded out with raging fire as they continued with their assault without relent. An intense heat flowed from them as they focused their raging energies. Instantly, their hands burst into a vermillion blaze and elongated into two long, slender blade-like forms. This increase in attacking range proved effective as the Striders scored hits, they were shallow though and soon, the Valkyries countered with strong gusts of wind from their wings that pushed the Striders back.

The Valkyries countered with precise spear stabs that had such speed that they blurred.

This lapse in attack was used by the Valkyries to launch their own major attack. They flew forward quickly in a vertical pentagram shaped pattern. They spun hypnotically as they let their energies meld together into one powerful attack. Circular glyphs appeared around each of the rotating warriors as their powers neared its crescendo. At the energy's peak, the five glyphs joined together and formed a shining star-shaped crest.

"Penta Strike" they all said in unison

"Strider Charge: Titansteel" Naruto said softly before the huge attack hit

The Shadow Striders' face-circles lost the bright orange and flashed gunmetal grey as their bodies were wrapped up in a silver energy absorbing coating. They braced themselves for the impending attack as Naruto focused his energies.

An almighty blast issued from the crest and engulfed both Naruto and his summoned beasts in an intense flash of pure energy rivaling the force of a hypernova. (1)

A harsh whistling sound echoed out as the Shadow Striders absorbed the powerful flare. The attack was too powerful though and soon, the summoned warriors overloaded and exploded in a massive display of light and energy. The whole courtyard was reduced to a molten crater from the force of the attack, the once beautiful place burnt down to the ground by the awesome might of the sea of energy.

Due to the force of the released attack, much of Kygori's forces got obliterated from the overloaded Shadow Striders. This did not faze the defending celestial though as he kept on summoning a sea of warriors from a seemingly endless source.

"Give yourself up Voidwalker" Kygori puffed triumphantly

"No. Apocalypse Release: Devour." came Naruto's voice as he sent an orb of black matter towards the heavily armored Kygori. Before it can come in close though, the Engulfing Fruit ordered his summoned soldiers to intercept the projectile. The obsidian orb hit and expanded out into a large black hole, sucking up everything with an iron-clad grip. Most of Kygori's forces got caught up in the devastating move, he saw as his summoned soldiers got sucked in the black hole and disappear into nothingness.

The celestial pooled his energy, he needed more power to put this heathen down

"I tire of this...it is time to end you. Summoner's Lore! Trigger!" Kygori said, his voice distorting from the sheer force of the energy that he expelled.

A fierce energy whipped his cape about as he levitated a few meters off the ground. The Engulfing Fruit held out his softly glowing hands on either side. He focused the energies and at their peak, slammed the hands together producing a bright light and a large surge of energy. After the light subsided...

A large macabre sphere appeared. The massive orb seemed to be made up of Kygori's summoned monsters; they squirmed like many insects trying to burrow inside a ripened fruit.

"Witness my undefeatable power and bow down!" Kygori said in a deep distorted voice. Suddenly, the flesh orb spilled forth an endless amount of soldiers all heavily armed and armored. Canine spearmen, Ursine warriors armed with gigantic greatswords, Reptilian snipers toting energy crossbows, Lupine warriors armed with spiked whips, Feline assassins armed with devilish claws meant for ripping out guts and a lot more; it was like a magical menagerie bred for the sole purpose of stripping the opponent to the bone.

Naruto sighed as he wordlessly formed a flowing water whip and a lightning crossbow

Naruto quickly flicked the water whip forward. The whip flew forward and cleanly sliced up everything that got in its way.

"Die!" Naruto said as he unloaded a few salvos of lightning bolts at the enemy

* * *

><p>Naruto sliced through his umpteenth monster, he roughly kicked at the slain warrior and fired some lightning at it just to be sure it was dead. Yeah, its fun creatively killing the first few thousand soldiers but this is getting real old real fast. Naruto touched the end of the water whip on the ground; suddenly five watery tendrils shot out of the ground like flowing trees and impaled a group of soldiers. The tendrils curled and snaked around, collecting more and more bodies as they rose higher. As they finished their ascent, more than a dozen soldiers were impaled on the flesh tower. It looked like a macabre kebab more than anything.<p>

"They really are like an unending flood" Naruto sighed as he shot at a serpentine rogue wielding dual katars

"Had enough yet, Voidwalker?" Kygori taunted

"Hmph!" Naruto did not care to answer back as he sent a water snake crashing toward a group of snipers followed by a large blast of lightning directed at some oncoming spearmen.

He looked at the skewered warriors and noticed something odd. They were slowly dissolving into millions of miniscule energy particles. He followed the path of the particles, they were being absorbed by the flesh orb. As soon as it absorbed the energy back, it spewed out more of those strange warriors.

"I see" Naruto though out loud. Then, an idea hit him like the side of a freight truck. ' 'Game Over' he thought

'Why haven't I thought of that sooner?' Naruto mentally berated himself

'Time to finish this' he scowled as he let the water whip and lightning crossbow dissipate away.

* * *

><p>An intense light enveloped him as Naruto stood in the presence of the Allfather.<p>

"The Engulfing Fruit and even the mighty Triumvirate have fallen…" the figure said

"And you're next." Naruto answered

The Allfather snorted

"I'd like to see you try" the supreme celestial said in a bored tone "There is nothing you can do, the process has already been put into motion long ago" he said in a monotone voice without even looking

"You think that would stop me?" Naruto said as he narrowed his eyes

The Allfather didn't respond. They locked eyes, measuring up each other; Naruto was the first to tear away his gaze. Suddenly, the young warrior found himself drained of energy; his spirit crushed. A crippling fear gripped his heart and a sense of longing permeated him. He felt physically weak, his knees buckled, it seems as though he would collapse at any moment.

'It looks like I'm still not ready' Naruto thought with a snort, disappointed with himself. With a grimace, he thought of all the events that finally concluded with this: the erasure of all existence.

"Why?" a single question escaped Naruto's lips

"Because nothing matters" came the simple answer as the powerful celestial continued to look at the multitude of gigantic rips marring the Void.

As Naruto pondered over the answer, the Celestial Nexus slowly continued the process of merging with the Void. Should this merger complete, the huge output of energy would erase everything. The reduction of everything into the Zero State; complete nothingness.

"Wha…what do you mean?" Naruto asked as he felt the Void shudder in pain

A powerful surge of energy engulfed the chamber as the agonizingly slow process continued. Outside the chamber, massive distortions appeared all throughout the different realities. It seems as though the end is fast approaching.

"Allow me to explain before you meet your demise" the Allfather said flatly "There are an infinite number of realities and worlds born from the choices we make…born from each and every choice of each and everyone"

"Most of them are not that different from what we know. But some of them are so radically different that you begin to question your core...your very being." The Allfather stated "In one reality you and I are brothers in arms, in another neither you nor me have ever been born, in yet another; the sorrows of war and hate have been eradicated, ad infinitum" the man flourished

"I…I see…" Naruto said as he felt a stinging sensation 'Make it stop!' he heard a faint whisper in his mind

"Anything you have ever thought of, everything you have ever planned on doing. A version of yourself on another reality has already made it, has already thought about it. Somewhere out there, a version of you is doing or has experienced things that you cannot even fathom. When you think about it, we are all nothing…less than nothing. Nothing we ever do can be considered important." The Allfather monologued

Naruto looked on, slack jawed

"We are in what is called the Prime. This is where the other realities are born from. Destroy this one and the rest follow." The celestial said grimly

"You can kill me if you want, but it will change nothing" the Allfather said as he faced Naruto, guard completely down

"No…I don't want to fight anymore. I just…" Naruto said as he winced at the growing pain he was feeling

"Just what? Just want to end the suffering? And then everyone will live happily ever after? You think we'll all join hands and sing "The Happy Song" in front of a big campfire?" the Allfather exploded out suddenly, mockingly "…You are more naïve than I thought"

"Life IS suffering! Why prolong your pain when you can just save yourself the grief and end it all? The way I see it, you should all be thanking me on bended knee" the Allfather said pompously

"Many see death as an enemy…something to be feared and scorned. An ancient evil that must be conquered...beaten into submission. I beg to differ; I see death as a gift. A final rest for the tired and weary; the final frontier. The proper finish to everyone's story" The man finished soberly

"There…there may be no meaning to this existence, but does there have to be? Does everything have to have a reason?!" Naruto said defiantly as he steeled his resolve

"Whatever reason you find will not matter. Trying is futile; you cannot go against the tide" the Allfather said in a tired tone

Everything shuddered as the melding process neared its completion. The voices in Naruto's head increased their screaming, like a symphony of a thousand people being simultaneously tortured with instruments of pain.

"I may wither and die but the experiences I've had will never disappear! The laughter and tears I shared with my friends! All the sacrifices and the adventures we had together. They happened and no one can take them away!" Naruto said he tore off the eyepatch that regulated his energy

Naruto fell to his knees as he felt his body rip apart, atom by atom. Pieces of skin and raw flesh flew away like pieces of ripped paper. The intense power of the Void too much for his mortal coil to handle. A flood of light escaped him as the energy liberated itself. He screamed out in pain as he felt his innards catch fire. His bones were melting and his blood was freezing; as the energy increased its intensity, Naruto's pain reached a new plateau.

"The Void may call you its master but have you mastered it?" the Allfather taunted

"Don't…count me out…just yet" Naruto said through gritted teeth as the energy kept on pouring out of him. He clutched his chest, what was left of it anyway.

"It doesn't matter. Nothing you do can ever change the course of what is about to come" the Allfather stated as he slowly walked away

Without another thought, Naruto let his energies creep outward, trying to correct the damage that has been done. The ethereal tendrils moved about. Trying to halt the process; trying to separate the two essences.

"Futile" the Allfather said under his breath as he watched the event unfold

A faint power pulsed in the soft darkness as the Void moved to its master's will. It was weak however; as it was at that moment all it could do was delay the fusion of the two realms.

'NO! Give me more power!' Naruto demanded from the Gatesman

'You know full well what will happen if I do that' it answered back

'I KNOW! Just give it to me dammit!' Naruto desperately ordered

'You're the master, just don't come bitching to me when you fade away' the Gatesman answered with a shrug

An explosion of the Void rocketed throughout Naruto's being. A combination of a euphoric feeling and torturous pain raced through him; engulfing him with an overload of sensations.

* * *

><p>"So…so this is how it should be…" Naruto muttered, a faintness grabbing hold of his being "It…it feels so nice…"<p>

'…You did good…but…' the Gatesman trailed off

His eyes were getting heavy. He slowly drifted off to a nice slumber. Yes…sleep, rest, reprieve. Seems as though that pompous asshole was right about one thing, it is a blessing indeed; relief for the weary soul. All worries gone, fear and anger all dissolved.

He let a smile grace his features as he felt himself slowly fade out.

Suddenly, the fading sensation stopped and Naruto felt himself being picked up by a large pair of hands. They were soft, like a feather bed but they were slightly knobby, like the hands of one who has known only hardships all his life.

'There is still a lot you have to set right Voidwalker. Rise and serve the Void as it has served you' a harsh rasp came

He wrenched his eyes open as he felt himself falling again through the infinite darkness. He felt the velvet darkness slowly creep onto him and he knew no more.

* * *

><p>The bound preteen boy awoke to a familiar darkness. He had been stuck there for quite a while now, about ten hours now if his body clock were accurate. He looked around, heightened eyesight piercing through the darkness of the room. Various crates stacked on top of each other surrounded him and a wet, musty smell hung in the air. Seems like this storeroom hasn't been used for quite a time.<p>

He had been falling into uncomfortable sleep in the last few hours, most were dark and dreamless but some carried really freaky dreams, hazy visions of places and faces he had never seen before. He blinked as he felt cold sweat run down the side of his face

The boy felt incredibly thirsty. He tried to swallow but his throat won't permit him, it was bone dry and hurt with every little motion he made inside his mouth.

* * *

><p>Suddenly…<p>

* * *

><p>'…Forgive…my master, but all…could…mere fragments…use…memories…suffering…end' Naruto heard a familiar voice say inside his head. The message was fragmented however, like it came from a broken radio.<p>

"Weird…" The confused boy muttered as he tried to make sense of the splintered words.

This continued on for a few hours, strange visions flashed in his mind like fragmented footage from an old camcorder. The more the boy tried to make sense of it, the more he felt his grip on sanity weaken. He remembered things he didn't do, recalled memories that weren't his.

"Who are those people and why do I feel like I know them somehow?" Naruto found himself blurting out

The bound boy scrunched up his forehead in concentration, trying to make sense of it all; he wasn't as gifted as that Nara guy but he could probably give the guy a run for his money.

''Well, first thing's first. Escape." Naruto told himself. He looked at his bindings and examined the material. He pushed against it and felt the inside.

"Hmmm...Chakra enforced restraints. Hard to break through brute force, but a chemical persuasion would suffice." he monologued.

He readied his salivary glands and shot a jet of clear liquid at one of the restraints, a practice run. He didn't want to make a mess. A sizzling sound issued from the restraint as his saliva easily ate through the bond. Remember the Shoomba blood that infected him? Yeah, that gave him super saliva. What is super saliva, you ask? Its basically an upgrade, his salivary glands now produced saliva of the stinging, burn-you-in-the-face variant. You do not want this guy spitting on your face, its a literal facemelter.

Naruto got snapped out of his 'activities' when he heard a shrill creaking sound echoing throughout the enclosed space.

'...door' he thought as he narrowed his eyes, ready for anything

Heavy footsteps and loud, metallic clinking sounds signaled the arrival of his visitor

''...Grind that sonuvabitch to fine chunks. Hahaha'' an unusually high pitched male voice rang out as the deranged man fought down the urge to shake all over

''Make sure you get all the information we need out of him before you have your fun'' a stern voice said before it left

'Zabuza'

''Good day to you...meat'' the man spat as he regarded the bound prisoner. His trench coat billowed as he came to an abrupt stop. The weak, eerie light cast by his lantern accentuated his bony features making him look like the grim reaper itself. An ancient man with a figure ravaged by time and sickness stood before him; he looked like he would fall dead at any second.

''You know what's going to happen next'' the torturer gave a toothless grin. His hollowed eyes glinted maliciously as he opened his overlong trench coat like he was some kind of dresser. Zabuza stood behind him with folded arms and watched. A hard look in his eyes, on guard and ready for anything.

What Naruto saw next made him question the man's sanity, meticulously lined up in the ancient man's trench coat were 26 pieces of lightly varnished cardboard labeled from A to Z.

''I'm feeling generous today so I'll let you choose. M for mutilation or D for disembowelment'' the nasty old man offered

''How about T?'' the boy answered

''...for take a bath. When was the last time you took one?'' he said in an straight, mocking face

The ancient man ignored the little jab and pulled the varnished cardboard labelled ''T''

''So T it is then! A wise choice'' the ancient man said as he read the contents of the piece of cardboard out loud.

''Ah yes, the thousand cut method followed by a very thorough vivisection.'' the torturer flourished

''Let us begin shall we?'' he said with barely contained excitement as he readied his trusty scalpel

As he began to make the first cut, he looked at Naruto's face. He wanted to see the look of pain on his victim's face everytime he administered his ''treatment''. A habit he has had ever since he began his path.

Imagine his surprise as he saw no fear nor anger on the face of his would-be victim. He looked like he was sleeping, he carried with him a relaxed vibe that irked the older man.

'That smug look will be wiped off soon enough' the torturer thought as he let the blade sink into flesh

''Aaaaargghhh! NOOOOO!'' Naruto exclaimed as he sprung to life, thrashing about and drooling uncontrollably.

He looked at the wan torturer and flashed an annoying smile.

''Just kidding, wake me up when you're all done. Okay?'' he said in an annoyingly cheerful tone as he yawned.

Zabuza's eyes flashed, 'What is this kid?' he thought to himself.

The scalpel repeatedly carved into the boy, yet not even a yelp of pain from him.

The torturer was getting unnerved, 'How could flesh mend this quickly?' he thought as he saw the flesh sew back together right in front of him. It wasn't an instantaneous process but it was quick enough to repair a cut after he had finished with it.

'Is this child even human?' he thought as he continued slicing.

He didn't know if it was boredom or Zabuza had to go do some business but the elite ninja left the elder tortured to his devices. Big mistake.

As soon as Naruto was sure Zabuza was far away and he was safe to make a move. he looked at the wan torturer and smiled.

"I wanted to thank you for this opportunity." Naruto said kindly.

The elder man gave the boy a perplexed look. "What?"

Without warning, a clear liquid escaped Naruto's mouth and coated the torturer's eyes. Within seconds, the liquid burned, eliciting shrieks of pain from the older man.

As the old tortured flailed around, he carefully aimed the jets of saliva at the remaining restraints, burning them off and giving him freedom, finally! Although his clothes didn't provide much protection or decency for that matter.

"Well this is nice." the boy said as he looked around, the old man was nowhere to be seen. It would be bad if the others were alerted to his presence, he hasn't recovered much of his strength yet. He navigated the dark room, sampling the air for the old man's scent every few feet. It was a surprisingly large storeroom, warehouse is a more apt word to describe it. He found the old man crawling blindly near the door. He whimpered as he felt around, his eyes eaten away by the corrosive saliva. Naruto approached the pathetic looking old man silently and in one swift motion, twisted his neck.

"Not like he had much long to live. Well, that takes care of that. Now to get out of here." Naruto said as made to salvage some clothing from the corpse of the old man. Yeah, it was pretty disgusting but it was that or running through kami-knows-what with his family jewels dangling and slapping all over.

He was about to take off the trench coat when the door opened. Keiri was on the other side, bearing a tray with some food and water. Naruto looked at her with a surprised look and straightened up to face her. Bad. Idea.

"We...Well hello there Miss Satsujou." Naruto said with a stupid smile.

A shrill scream escaped Keiri as she slammed the tray at Naruto, knocking him out cold.

* * *

><p>Sorry for the delay. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.<br>As usual, please leave your comments and reviews. Thanks! keeperoflies Out!

(1) Explosion of a massive star; Wikipedia for more info


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